Female Saudi directors Haifaa Al-Mansour and Shahad Ameen brought a message to the Venice Film Festival along with their movies: Women must be seen and heard.
Mansour’s “The Perfect Candidate” is one of two films by female directors out of 21 competing for the festival’s Golden Lion award, telling the story of a woman doctor facing gender-based challenges while running for municipal council.
Ameen’s “Scales,” which screened out of competition, focuses on a young girl surviving against superstitious villagers who believe she is a curse. Both directors hope their films will convey a message of empowerment at a time when Saudi Arabia has been easing male guardianship rules. “Showing a lead female character, it is indirectly empowering women,” Mansour said.
“The one who will make most money in this film is the girl, she is not a supporting role, she is the main role. You invest in her journey, love her and root for her that is what is very important for a conservative audience to see.”
The start of Mansour’s film reflects the changes in the Kingdom, with protagonist Maryam driving her car to work.
Asked what she wanted Saudi female audiences to take away from the film, Mansour, also known for the English-language film “Mary Shelley,” said: “That it is about time to put themselves out there and not to be afraid of failure or to be judged.
“We come from a very traditional society so even with the liberties, like ... (women) driving is legal but not a lot of women drive because it is not accepted still socially. So it is very important for women ... to take advantage of the new freedoms given to them because that is ... how to move forward.”
In “Scales,” Hayat has been saved by her father from a village tradition of families sacrificing their daughters to sea creatures, making her an outcast.
Mansour has previously described how she at times had to hide in a van while directing her 2012 film “Wadjda” about a young Saudi girl determined to buy a bicycle.
“It’s changed a lot, I don’t have to be in the van anymore ... and accessibility ... we shot in really remote areas and we were able to shoot,” she said.
Saudi women directors bring empowerment message to Venice
Saudi women directors bring empowerment message to Venice
- “Showing a lead female character, it is indirectly empowering women,” Mansour said
Pakistan say Australia ‘best’ World Cup preparation amid participation doubts
- Pakistan will decide whether it will participate in upcoming T20 World Cup or not
- Australia arrived in Pakistan today for three-match T20I series starting Thursday
LAHORE: Pakistan take on Australia in a three-match Twenty20 international series starting in Lahore from Thursday, despite doubts over their participation in next month’s World Cup in cricket’s shortest format.
The country’s cricket chief Mohsin Naqvi will announce a final decision on taking part in the mega event either on Friday or Monday.
Pakistan are protesting over last week’s decision by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which rejected Bangladesh’s demand to relocate their matches out of India over security fears.
Bangladesh are replaced by Scotland in the 20-team event, which runs from February 7 to March 8 with Sri Lanka as co-hosts.
However, despite the doubts, the Pakistan team was preparing for the World Cup with skipper Salman Agha stressing the importance of the Australia series.
“These three games will give us an idea how prepared we are for the World Cup,” Agha told a news conference on Wednesday. “Australia is a top team and will give us the best final preparations.”
Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside defending world champions India, the United States, Namibia and the Netherlands.
Pakistan’s spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi returns to full fitness after injuring his knee in the Big Bash League in Australia this month.
“We need to see how many boxes we tick in the series which are important for the World Cup as we aim to do well and win the Cup,” Agha said.
A 17-member Australian squad led by Mitchell Marsh arrived in Lahore early on Wednesday, with the last two matches set for January 31 and February 1.
The Australians are without the injured quartet of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David and Nathan Ellis, while allrounder Glenn Maxwell was rested to manage workload.
Marsh still believes Australia were ready for the World Cup tune-up series.
“These are very important times in both teams’ preparations for the World Cup,” said Marsh, whose team will be in Group B with Sri Lanka, Oman, Ireland and Zimbabwe.
“This is a very important series as the conditions are similar and that is against a quality side, so we will assess the situation and be clear about our plans ahead.”
