Haifaa al-Mansour
Encyclopedia
Haifaa al-Mansour is a film director from Saudi Arabia
. She is one of the country's best-known and most controversial directors.
She is the daughter of the poet Abdul Rahman Mansour, who introduced her to films by video, there being no movie theaters in Saudi Arabia. With his encouragement, she studied comparative literature at the American University in Cairo
.
She began her filmmaking career with three shorts, Who?, The Bitter Journey, and The Only Way Out. The Only Way Out won prizes in the United Arab Emirates and in Holland. She followed these with the documentary Women Without Shadows, which deals with the hidden lives of women of the Persian Gulf. It was shown in 17 international festivals, and received the Golden Dagger for Best Documentary in the Muscat
Film Festival and a special jury mention in the fourth Arab Film Festival in Rotterdam
. She was a guest at the 28th Three Continents Festival
in Nantes
, France.
She did not intend that her film work focus on women’s issues, but found them too important to not address. Both Who? and Women Without Shadows deal with the custom of abaya
. She has received hate mail
and criticism for being unreligious, which she denies. She does, however, feel that Saudi Arabia needs to take a more critical view of its culture. She has also received praise from Saudis for encouraging discussion on topics usually considered taboo.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. She is one of the country's best-known and most controversial directors.
She is the daughter of the poet Abdul Rahman Mansour, who introduced her to films by video, there being no movie theaters in Saudi Arabia. With his encouragement, she studied comparative literature at the American University in Cairo
American University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
.
She began her filmmaking career with three shorts, Who?, The Bitter Journey, and The Only Way Out. The Only Way Out won prizes in the United Arab Emirates and in Holland. She followed these with the documentary Women Without Shadows, which deals with the hidden lives of women of the Persian Gulf. It was shown in 17 international festivals, and received the Golden Dagger for Best Documentary in the Muscat
Muscat, Oman
Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats...
Film Festival and a special jury mention in the fourth Arab Film Festival in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. She was a guest at the 28th Three Continents Festival
Three Continents Festival
The Festival of the Three Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau. The top award in the festival's competition is the balloon shaped Golden...
in Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, France.
She did not intend that her film work focus on women’s issues, but found them too important to not address. Both Who? and Women Without Shadows deal with the custom of abaya
Abaya
The abaya "cloak" , sometimes also called an aba, is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of the Islamic world including in Turkey, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
. She has received hate mail
Hate mail
Hate mail is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient...
and criticism for being unreligious, which she denies. She does, however, feel that Saudi Arabia needs to take a more critical view of its culture. She has also received praise from Saudis for encouraging discussion on topics usually considered taboo.
Films
- Who? (من؟)
- The Bitter Journey (الرحيل المر)
- The Only Way Out (أنا والآخر)
- Women Without Shadows (نساء بلا الظل)