Wadjda

SYNOPSIS

10-year-old Wadjda challenges deep-rooted Saudi traditions in a determined quest to buy a bicycle. When everything goes against her plans, she sees one last chance in her school’s Koran recitation competition and the large cash prize for first place.
The first film ever shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, WADJDA is the story of a girl determined to fight for her dreams.

DIRECTOR

Haifaa Al Mansour finished her bachelor’s degree in Literature at the American University in Cairo and completed a Master’s degree in Directing and Film Studies from the University of Sydney. She is considered the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia and her feature film WADJDA (2012) was the first feature film ever to be shot entirely inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Invited to over 40 festivals worldwide, WADJDA garnered numerous awards – among others in Venice, Rotterdam and Dubai. In 2017 her adaptation of the biography Mary Shelley premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

CREDITS

CAST:

Wadjda:  Waad Mohammed
Abdullah: Abdullrahman Algohani
Mother: Reem Abdullah
Father: Sultan Al Assaf
Ms Hussa: Ahd

CREW:

Director & Script: Haifaa Al Mansour
Director of Photography: Lutz Reitemeier
Sound: Marc Meusinger
Production Design: Thomas Molt
Costume Design: Peter Pohl
Editor: Andreas Wodraschke

PRODUCTION:

Razor Film, Germany
Co-Producer Saudi-Arabia: Amr J Alkahtani, Highlook Communications Group
Associate Producers: Dr. Hala Sarhan, Christian Granderath, Bettina Ricklefs

GERMAN FUNDING:

German Federal Film Fund (FFA), Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, Middle German Media Support (MDM), Leipzig

BROADCASTER:

Rotana Studios (Riyadh), NDR (Hamburg), BR (Munich)

PRESS & SALES

WORLD SALES:

The Match Factory

GERMAN DISTRIBUTION:

Koch Films 

AWARDS & FESTIVALS

Venice IFF 2012 – Cinema Avenire Award – Best Film, Interfilm Award, CICAE Award
Telluride IFF 2012
BFI London Film Festival 2012
Viennale 2012
Tallinn Black Nights – Netpac Award, Don Quixote Award
Ale Kino 2012 – Audience Award
Dubai IFF 2012 – Best Film, best Actress
Rotterdam IFF 2013 – Hubert Bals Fund Dioraphte Award
Fribourg IFF 2013 – Audience Award
Gulf Film Festival 2013 – Best Film
Tribeca IFF 2013
Cannes IFF 2013 – Le Prix France Culture avec Libération for Haifaa Al Mansour
Karlovy Vary IFF 2013
L.A. IFF 2013 – Audience Award  (International Film)
Filmfest München 2013 – German Special Film Peace Award, Fritz Gerlich-Award
Freiburger Filmfest 2013 – Audience Award