10 Amazing Films Directed By Women
2. Wadjda
Wadjda is a film full of firsts. It was the first film ever shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, the first feature length film made be a female Saudi director, Haifaa al-Mansour, and it was the Saudi Arabia's first entry into the Academy Awards Best Foreign Film category (although it ultimately didn't end up being nominated). Can you even imagine the courage it would take as a female director to make a female-centric film in a country where women aren't even allowed to drive?
The story focuses on little girl in Riyadh who desperately wants to get her own bicycle, so that she can race one of her male friends. Unfortunately, females are discouraged from riding bikes, and after her parents won't buy it for her, she decides to raise the money herself by taking on a variety of odd jobs and eventually entering into a Quran reciting competition in the hopes of winning the grand prize.
It's ultimately a story of female empowerment, and one that encourages Saudi Arabia to take a hard look at how its often oppressive culture can stifle the ambitions of its children.