Wadjda: Difference between revisions
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Wadjda, an 11-year-old Saudi girl living in the capital Riyadh, dreams of owning a green bicycle that she passes in a store every day on her way to school. She wants to race against her friend Abdullah, a boy from the neighbourhood, but riding bikes is frowned upon for girls and Wadjda's mother refuses to buy one for her daughter. She is distracted by trying to convince her husband not to take a second wife, as Wadjda tries to find the money herself by selling [[mixtapes]], acting as a go-between for a teacher, and through other forbidden activities in the school yard. |
Wadjda, an 11-year-old Saudi girl living in the capital Riyadh, dreams of owning a green bicycle that she passes in a store every day on her way to school. She wants to race against her friend Abdullah, a boy from the neighbourhood, but riding bikes is frowned upon for girls and Wadjda's mother refuses to buy one for her daughter. She is distracted by trying to convince her husband not to take a second wife, as Wadjda tries to find the money herself by selling [[mixtapes]], acting as a go-between for a teacher, and through other forbidden activities in the school yard. |
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After running afoul of the strict headmistress, Wadjda decides to participate in a [[Quran| |
After running afoul of the strict headmistress, Wadjda decides to participate in a [[Quran|Qur'an]] recital competition, the SR1,000 cash prize of which would allow her to pay for the bike. Her efforts at memorising the verses impresses her teacher, but when Wadjda wins the competition, she shocks the staff by announcing her intention to buy a bicycle with the prize money.<ref name=Euronews/><ref name="FT">{{Citation | last =Grey | first =Tobias | author-link = | last2 = | first2 = | author2-link = | title = The undercover director | newspaper = Financial Times| page =14 | date = 30/31 March 2013| url = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | accessdate = }}</ref><ref name="Razor">{{cite web|url= http://razor-film.de/en/projects/wadjda/|title=Wadjda|publisher=Razor Film| date= |first=|last=|accessdate=6 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=Filmportal/> She is told that the money will instead be donated to Palestine on her behalf. |
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Wadjda returns home to find that her father has taken a second wife, and that her mother has bought the green bicycle from the toy store. Wadjda wins her race against Abdullah. |
Wadjda returns home to find that her father has taken a second wife, and that her mother has bought the green bicycle from the toy store. Wadjda wins her race against Abdullah. |
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Revision as of 17:23, 18 October 2013
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.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Haifaa al-Mansour |
| Screenplay by | Haifaa al-Mansour |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | de |
| Edited by | Andreas Wodraschke |
| Music by | Max Richter |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Koch Media (Germany, all media) |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Countries | |
| Language | Arabic |
Wadjda (Arabic: وجدة) is a 2012 Saudi Arabian-German film, written and directed by Haifaa al-Mansour. It was shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and is the first feature-length film made by a female Saudi director.[1][2] It has won numerous awards at film festivals around the world. The film has been selected as the Saudi Arabian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards.[3] It is the first time Saudi Arabia has submitted a film for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.[4][5][6]
Plot
Wadjda, an 11-year-old Saudi girl living in the capital Riyadh, dreams of owning a green bicycle that she passes in a store every day on her way to school. She wants to race against her friend Abdullah, a boy from the neighbourhood, but riding bikes is frowned upon for girls and Wadjda's mother refuses to buy one for her daughter. She is distracted by trying to convince her husband not to take a second wife, as Wadjda tries to find the money herself by selling mixtapes, acting as a go-between for a teacher, and through other forbidden activities in the school yard.
After running afoul of the strict headmistress, Wadjda decides to participate in a Qur'an recital competition, the SR1,000 cash prize of which would allow her to pay for the bike. Her efforts at memorising the verses impresses her teacher, but when Wadjda wins the competition, she shocks the staff by announcing her intention to buy a bicycle with the prize money.[2][7][8][9] She is told that the money will instead be donated to Palestine on her behalf.
Wadjda returns home to find that her father has taken a second wife, and that her mother has bought the green bicycle from the toy store. Wadjda wins her race against Abdullah.
Cast
- Reem Abdullah as Mother
- Waad Mohammed as Wadjda (وجدة)
- Abdullrahman Algohani as Abdullah
- Sultan Al Assaf as Father[9]
- Ahd Kamel as Ms Hussa
- Ibrahim Al Mozael as Toyshop Owner
- Noof Saad as Qu'ran Teacher
- Rafa Al Sanea as Fatima
- Alanoud Sajini as Fatin
Production
According to the director Haifaa al-Mansour, it took five years to make Wadjda. Most of the time was spent trying to find financial backing and getting filming permission, since she insisted on filming in Saudi Arabia for reasons of authenticity. She received backing from Rotana, the film production company of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. However, she was very interested in finding a foreign co-producer because "in Saudi there are no movie theatres, there is no film industry to speak of and, therefore, little money for investment".[7] After being chosen for a Sundance Institute writer's lab in Jordan, al-Mansour got in touch with the German production company Razor Film, which had previously produced films with Middle-Eastern topics (Paradise Now and Waltz with Bashir).[7] The production involved co-operation with two German public TV broadcasters, Norddeutscher Rundfunk and Bayerischer Rundfunk.[9] Additional funding came from de (FFA, Berlin); Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH (MBB, Potsdam); Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung GmbH (MDM, Leipzig) and Filmfonds Babelsberg (ILB, Potsdam-Babelsberg).[9]
Al-Mansour's screenplay was influenced by neorealist cinema like Vittorio de Sica's Bicycle Thieves, Jafar Panahi's Offside or Rosetta. Al-Mansour says that the original version of her screenplay was much bleaker than the finished product: "I decided I didn't want the film to carry a slogan and scream, but just to create a story where people can laugh and cry a little."[7] Al-Mansour based the character of Wadjda on one of her nieces and also on her own experiences when growing up.[7] The main themes of the story are freedom, as represented by the bicycle, and the fear of emotional abandonment, as Wadjda's father wants to take a second wife who will provide him with a son.[7]
Wadjda was shot on the streets of Riyadh, which often made it necessary for the director to work from the back of a van, as she could not publicly mix with the men in the crew. Often, she could only communicate via walkie-talkie and had to watch the actors on a monitor. This made it difficult to direct: "It made me realise the need to rehearse and to develop an understanding for each scene before we shot it."[7] Waad Mohammed, who plays Wadjda, was a first time actor.[7]
Reception
Wadjda received critical acclaim. The film-critics aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reported 98% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 64 reviews, with an average score of 8.2/10. The critical consensus is: "Transgressive in the best possible way, Wadjda presents a startlingly assured new voice from a corner of the globe where cinema has been all but silenced."[10] Metacritic, which assigns a standardized score out of 100, rated the film 81 based on 23 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11]
Release
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2012. It was released in Germany by Koch Media in 2013. Other distributors are: Pretty Pictures (France, theatrical), Sony Pictures Classics (USA, theatrical), Wild Bunch Benelux (Netherlands, theatrical), The Match Factory (Non-USA, all media) and Soda Pictures (UK, all media). It has been shown at several film festivals:
| Country | Release Date | Film Festival | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 31 August 2012[12] | Venice Film Festival | |
| USA | 15 September 2012[12] | Telluride Film Festival | |
| Poland | 28 November 2012[12] | Filmy Swiata ale kino+ Festival | |
| Iceland | 29 November 2012[12] | Fully | |
| Italy | 6 December 2012[12] | Fully | |
| Netherlands | 26 January 2013[12] | International Film Festival Rotterdam | |
| Sweden | 30 January 2013[12] | Goteborg International Film Festival | |
| Belgium | 6 February 2013[12] | Fully | |
| France | 6 February 2013[12] | Fully | |
| Serbia | 23 February 2013[12] | Belgrade Film Festival | |
| Sweden | 8 March 2013[12] | Fully | |
| Netherlands | 16 May 2013[12] | Fully | |
| UK | 19 July 2013[7] | Fully | |
| Germany | 25 July 2013 | Fünf-Seen-Filmfestival[13] | |
| Germany | 15 August 2013[12] | Fully |
Other screenings include as the opening film of the 6th Gulf Film Festival in Dubai (11–17 April) and at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York (21/25 April).[7]
Awards
| Year | Awards | Film Festival | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Muhr Arab Award[1] | Dubai International Film Festival | Waad Mohammed (Best Actress – Feature) Roman Paul (Best Film – Feature) Gerhard Meixner (Best Film - Feature) |
Won |
| 2012 | Don Quixote Award Netpac Award Grand Prize |
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival | Haifaa Al-Mansour (Special Mention) Haifaa Al-Mansour Haifaa Al-Mansour |
Won Won Nominated |
| 2012 | CinemAvvenire Award C.I.C.A.E. Award Interfilm Award |
Venice Film Festival | Haifaa Al-Mansour (Best Film—Il cerchio non è rotondo Award) Haifaa Al-Mansour Haifaa Al-Mansour |
Won Won Won |
| 2012 | Sutherland Trophy | British Film Institute Awards | Haifaa Al-Mansour | Nominated |
| 2013 | Directors to Watch | Palm Springs International Film Festival | Haifaa Al-Mansour | Won |
| 2013 | Grand Prix | Fribourg International Film Festival | Haifaa Al-Mansour | Nominated |
| 2013 | Dioraphte Award | Rotterdam International Film Festival | Haifaa Al-Mansour | Won |
| 2013 | Südwind-Filmpreis | International Film Festival Innsbruck | Haifaa Al-Mansour | Won |
| 2013 | Most Popular International First Feature Award | Vancouver International Film Festival | Haifaa Al-Mansour | Won |
See also
- Cinema of Saudi Arabia
- List of Saudi Arabian films
- List of submissions to the 86th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Saudi Arabian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ^ a b "Dubai International Film Festival". Dubaifilmfest.com. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Wadjda". Euronews. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ "Oscars: Saudi Arabia Nominates 'Wadjda' for Foreign Language Category". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ "Oscars: Saudi Arabia Taps 'Wadjda' As First Foreign-Language Entry". Variety. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ "'Wadjda' is Saudi Arabia's first nominee for foreign-language Oscar". LA Times. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia submits first film for Oscars with 'Wadjda'". Gulf News. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Grey, Tobias (30/31 March 2013), "The undercover director", Financial Times, p. 14
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Wadjda". Razor Film. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Filmportal: Wadjda". Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ^ "Wadjda - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "Wadjda Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m IMDB:Wadjda (2012)
- ^ "Fünf-Seen-Filmfestival" (in Template:De icon). Fsff.de. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)