Rating: 3.5/5.0
Chicago – Haifaa Al-Mansour’s “Wadjda” is a deceptive film. It feels like a relatively slight story in that it’s about a headstrong girl who wants a bike. That’s it. Pretty simple stuff. And yet it’s not simple at all in Wadjda’s part of the world. She is a 10-year-old Saudi girl and not only are Saudi girls not supposed to ride bikes, they’re not supposed to even show their faces if men could possibly be in their line of sight. With a strong breakthrough performance at its core, “Wadjda” is a film about how cultural and social revolution starts quietly in neighborhoods and homes where girls want to ride bikes.
Wadjda’s mother (Reem Abdullah) works hard, forced to ride in a car with broken air conditioning for hours just to makes ends meet as Wadjda’s father (Sultan Al Assaf) is absent for weeks at a time.
Chicago – Haifaa Al-Mansour’s “Wadjda” is a deceptive film. It feels like a relatively slight story in that it’s about a headstrong girl who wants a bike. That’s it. Pretty simple stuff. And yet it’s not simple at all in Wadjda’s part of the world. She is a 10-year-old Saudi girl and not only are Saudi girls not supposed to ride bikes, they’re not supposed to even show their faces if men could possibly be in their line of sight. With a strong breakthrough performance at its core, “Wadjda” is a film about how cultural and social revolution starts quietly in neighborhoods and homes where girls want to ride bikes.
Wadjda’s mother (Reem Abdullah) works hard, forced to ride in a car with broken air conditioning for hours just to makes ends meet as Wadjda’s father (Sultan Al Assaf) is absent for weeks at a time.
- 9/20/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Wadjda has debuted a trailer.
Director Haifaa Al Mansour's film is a landmark for Saudi Arabia.
Not only is it the first shot entirely within the country, but it is the first feature to be directed by a woman.
The film centres around the titular character, a young girl who is desperate to buy a bicycle despite the opposition of her school and family.
Wadjda explores the social and gender issues that result from Saudi Arabia's deep-rooted traditions.
Reem Abdullah, Waad Mohammed, Abdullrahman Algohani, Ahd Kamel and Sultan Al Assaf star in the film, which premiered at the 2012 Venice Film Festival.
Wadjda will debut on July 19.
Director Haifaa Al Mansour's film is a landmark for Saudi Arabia.
Not only is it the first shot entirely within the country, but it is the first feature to be directed by a woman.
The film centres around the titular character, a young girl who is desperate to buy a bicycle despite the opposition of her school and family.
Wadjda explores the social and gender issues that result from Saudi Arabia's deep-rooted traditions.
Reem Abdullah, Waad Mohammed, Abdullrahman Algohani, Ahd Kamel and Sultan Al Assaf star in the film, which premiered at the 2012 Venice Film Festival.
Wadjda will debut on July 19.
- 7/5/2013
- Digital Spy
Hafaa Al-Mansour directs and also writes the winner of three awards at the Venice International Film Festival, and winner of two awards at the Dubai International Film Festival. We invite you to watch the trailer for Wadjda which stars Waad Mohammed and Reem Abdullah, Abdullrahman Al Gohani, Ahd and Sultan Al Assaf, and is distributed Stateside via Sony Pictures Classics, with a yet-to-be-determined release date. Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she shouldn't be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle...
- 7/4/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Directed by written by Haifaa Al-Mansour, the drama from Sony Classics opens on August 30th exclusive to Los Angeles and New York. Also with Abdullrahman Al Gohani, Ahd and Sultan Al Assaf, the story tells of the title character Wadjda, a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she shouldn't be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green...
- 6/6/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch a clip from Wadjda starring Waad Mohammed. Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, the multiple award-winning drama also stars Reem Abdullah, Abdullrahman Al Gohani, Ahd and Sultan Al Assaf. Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she shouldn't be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda's mother won't allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous...
- 4/15/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch a clip from Wadjda starring Waad Mohammed. Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, the multiple award-winning drama also stars Reem Abdullah, Abdullrahman Al Gohani, Ahd and Sultan Al Assaf. Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she shouldn't be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda's mother won't allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous...
- 4/15/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
With over 200 films having screened at the 56th London Film Festival in October, it’s nearly impossible to say with genuine certainty what films presented were truly the cream of the entire crop. Yet, by metaphorically placing an ear to the ground (or reading Twitter, perhaps) a picture begins to form of what underwhelmed and what delighted or surprised.
Falling firmly into the latter category is Haifaa Al-Mansour’s debut feature film, Wadjda, which earned a “special mention” at the London Film Festival’s awards ceremony. Its two sold-out festival screenings helped earn UK distribution for the charming, yet remarkably brave tale of a fierce, young Saudi girl who rejects society’s expectations of her. Written and directed by Saudi Arabia’s first female director, there’s no denying how feminist a work Wadjda is. That such a film should be produced within the strict Islamist kingdom to begin with...
Falling firmly into the latter category is Haifaa Al-Mansour’s debut feature film, Wadjda, which earned a “special mention” at the London Film Festival’s awards ceremony. Its two sold-out festival screenings helped earn UK distribution for the charming, yet remarkably brave tale of a fierce, young Saudi girl who rejects society’s expectations of her. Written and directed by Saudi Arabia’s first female director, there’s no denying how feminist a work Wadjda is. That such a film should be produced within the strict Islamist kingdom to begin with...
- 11/23/2012
- by Jeff Galasso
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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