 JEDDAH: SAUDI filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour
doesn't see herself as a trailblazer, but she has the job, whether she likes it
or not, by default.She's the only female film director in the
Kingdom.
In a post 9/11 world where the image of Saudis and Islam takes a daily
beating from Western media, Arab artists struggle to give their people a voice.
Mansour is in a position to seize the opportunity.
The West has a wrong perception about us, (and) especially the press has
shown a very small picture on who we are, Mansour said. This is what they feel.
We have to give them something else; we should clear the image of Saudis by our
art.
Mansour began her filmmaking career with a seven-minute short, Who? and shot
it in Al-Khobar. It received little notice, but after putting a rough cut on the
Internet, she attracted the attention of film editor Waleed Al-Sheehi of UAE,
who contacted her. Sheehi edited the film.
The film, shot with a handheld camera, was released in Turkey and received
positive response and encouragement from fellow female filmmakers.
We participated in Emirates Film Competition, which was for all the female
directors and was held in Abu Dhabi, she said.
The film was based on a rumor making the rounds in Riyadh at one time about
someone snatching women off the streets and killing them. Mansour's film
featured a man disguised as a woman dressed in a black Abaya and stalking women
by entering their homes.
Some observers detected a hint of an anti-Hijab stance in the film. But
Mansour dismisses the criticism.
I don't know why people think that Who? is an anti-Hijab or an anti-veil
movie, Mansour said. I showed how a Saudi woman lives in her home. They do not
wear Hijab at their homes and it is shown in every program of Saudi channels. TV
actresses are never accused of it. I tried to be realistic.
She acknowledged some people use the Hijab the wrong way (by disguising
themselves) and that is what I showed in my movie.
Mansour, who emphasized the film was not intended to shock people but educate
them, said it should be judged on its own merits. But given the conservative
nature of Saudi Arabia, she does not have any objections if she has to go
through censorship.
The eighth of 12 siblings, seven sisters and four brothers of middle-class,
liberal parents, Mansour, 32, is the daughter of an Egyptian father, a retired
legal consultant, and a Saudi mother, a social worker from the Eastern Province.
Her nephew played a little boy and one of her brothers played the criminal in
Who?
My sister helped me with the camera work and my friends and family supported
me a lot, she said.
She said that she prefers work in film rather than digital and video.
If you give me a free choice between digital and films then film is the best
way to make a movie, she said. If you have money and someone who knows how to
really operate a professional camera then it is great.
Who? was followed by another short film Bereavement of the Fledgling, which
also was shot by handheld cameras. But her last release, The Only Way Out, was
shot on 16mm film.
It was difficult for me to get film for my movie. We don t have sponsors
here.
She said that her first two movies were difficult to release in Saudi Arabia
but she received strong support from her family. She observed that young people
should be supported for their art.
Saudis do not make good films about their cultures. Someone else comes and
make films on us, she said. But we are the only one who can show our culture in
the best way because we have a different culture from others.
Mansour said that she thought it would be difficult for her to make a movie
in Saudi Arabia, but it was not the case.
Some memories of the actual shooting of scenes are really amusing, she noted.
For instance, because Saudi culture is so camera-wary, we had to be cautious
about shooting the street scenes, choosing times in the early morning when few
people would be out of doors. It was a big challenge.
She thinks that it is a time for Saudis to clear their image and the
government should support those efforts.
I was lucky to start my work at this time, Mansour said. So far I haven't
been opposed from any official institutions. And people are willing to listen to
what I have to say. After Sept 11 and the latest violence it has become more
pertinent to make use of the arts and address the issues facing us.
Despite the abundance of American- and European-made films available on video
and DVD in the Kingdom, Mansour said she has no filmmaking role model.
A director should be honest to his work and he should try to be genuine.
She said that she financed her films but now she is looking for someone else
to provide backing.
It is not easy for me to finance any more. I will definitely look for a
financer now.
Mansour's day job is working as an analyst for an oil firm, but she was
always interested in the media line. As a child, she won prizes directing school
plays. After earning her Bachelors of Arts degree in English Literature from the
American University in Cairo, she almost became a teacher, but I had to do
something I feel passionate about.
The lack of an organized industry in Saudi Arabia didn't discourage her.
There are no Saudi theaters, but that doesn't mean Saudis don t like
theaters, she said. They will drive for hours or even fly to Bahrain to see a
movie in a theater.
She said that many of Saudis liked her movies and many of them don't.
But most of them encourage me to make more good films. My message to my fans
is Love you all like everyone says.
Her last release The Only Way Out was shown on Arabic channels. Mansour
captured two awards for The Only Way Out. She said that she is planning for a
feature-length film next year.
(Footnote: Ayesha Naseem's article was first published in The
Saudi Gazette)
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