Sinopsis
Fiction. Maryam is a young and ambitious doctor. She works at the Health Clinic of a small town in Saudi Arabia. Despite her high professional qualifications, she must conquer the respect of her male partners and be accepted by her patients every day. The Mayor’s office refuses once and again to properly pave the access to the Clinic. Appalled at this carelessness, she decides to run for office in the local elections. Her father is a musician on tour, in the first public concerts allowed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for decades. Maryam decides to recruit her two younger sisters in order to raise funds and help her plan her campaign. Her unexpected candidacy to the Mayor’s office is a surprise for her family and a shock in a small community, absolutely not accustomed to the idea that a woman can be Mayor and lead a whole town, albeit a small one.
Haifaa Al Mansour graduated in Literature at the American University of Cairo and completed a Master in Directing and Film Studies at Sidney University. She is considered the first female Director in Saudi Arabia. Her feature film Wadjda (2012) was the first to be shot entirely in the Saudi Kingdom. The movie participated in over 40 international festivals, winning many awards, for example in Venice, Rotterdam, and Dubai, among other places.
November, 16th 2020. 7.30 pm. Casa Árabe de Madrid
November, 30th 2020. 7.30 pm. Casa Árabe de Córdoba
Section: Arab Directors
Year of Production: 2019
Running Time: 101’
Countries: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Language: Arabic
Director: Haifaa Al Mansour
Cast: Mila Alzahrani, Selma Dhay, Addulaziz Kalid Abdulrhim and Mohammed Shafi Al Harthy
Production: Haifaa Al Mansour, Gerhard Meixner and Roman Paul
Production Companies: Haifaa Al Mansour’s Establishment for Audiovisual Media and Razor Film Produktion GmbH
International Sales: The Match Factory GmbH
Main Festivals and Awards: Venice International Film Festival (La Mostra di Venezia). Nominated at the Independent Spirit Awards
