Haifaa al-Mansour
Saudi Arabia's first female filmmaker and a pioneering voice in Arab cinema, celebrated for challenging cultural boundaries through storytelling.
Haifaa al-Mansour - Personal Information
- Name: Haifaa al-Mansour
- Date of Birth: August 10, 1974
- Place of Birth: Al Zulfi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Gender: Female
- Job Title: Director
- Crew Jobs: Director, Writer, Screenplay, Producer
Biography
Haifaa al-Mansour is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia and is regarded as one of the most significant cinematic figures in the Kingdom. She 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.
The success of her three short films, as well as the international acclaim of her award-winning 2005 documentary Women Without Shadows, influenced a whole new wave of Saudi filmmakers and made the issue of opening cinemas in the Kingdom a front-page discussion. Within the Kingdom her work is both praised and vilified for encouraging discussion on topics generally considered too taboo, like tolerance, the dangers of orthodoxy, and the need for Saudis to take a critical look at their traditional and restrictive culture.
Filmography
A selection of Haifaa al-Mansour's screen appearances and credited works.
- Reel Herstory: The Real Story of Reel Women (2014) as Self
- Q&A (TV - 2008) as Self - Panellist
External Links
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