“stirring and poignant” (The Guardian)
Maryam is a modern young woman, a doctor who drives a car (no small thing in Saudi Arabia) and who is sick of the state of the road outside her clinic. Her decision to stand for the local council calls for immense reserves of courage and perseverance. It also brings out the harsh but sometimes hilarious contradictions at the heart of the Kingdom: a campaign video in which she appears completely obscured, a fashion parade in which every garment is full-length black. Maryam’s awakening sense of self-respect and defiance is truly inspiring. Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour (Wadjda), Saudi’s first woman film director, this is a film whose urgency and strength is belied by its infectious energy and good humour.
“galvanising…deeply thrilling” (London Times)
“A gently courageous piece of Arab cinema” (Sunday Independent)
Haifaa Al-Mansour
Haifaa Al-Mansoor attended the American University in Cairo before studying film in Sydney. She made a number of short films and documentaries prior to her feature debut Wadjda (2012). Her other films include Mary Shelley (2017) and Nappily Ever After (2018). Her television work includes episodes of The Society (2019) and Motherland: Fort Salem (2020). She is now based in Los Angeles.
