Haifaa Al-Mansour
Haifaa Al-Mansour is one of the most talked about female filmmakers as she is set to make her feature-film debut this week with Wadjda.
She is the first female filmmaker from Saudi Arabia, and Wadjda is the first film to be shot entirely in that country.
We caught up with her to chat about the new film, the difficulties she faced in getting the movie made and how it has been received.
- Wadjda is released in the UK this week so can you tell me a bit about the film?
The movie follows a ten-year-old girl from Saudi Arabia, who has her heart set on a bicycle - she is the kind of girl who won’t take no for an answer. So it follows her as she tries to get that bicycle. It is a story about human resilience.
- You have penned the screenplay as well as being in the director's chair so where did this project start for you? And what inspired the story?
I wanted to write a story about my world, I come from a town village in Saudi Arabia and went to public school, and I wanted to say a lot about the world where I come from.
But I also wanted to say a lot about the country and women, but I wanted to say it in a way that was subtle, and that did not clash with the culture.
The Bicycle Thief is a great school to adapt from. But I also looked at Jafar Panahi’s film Offside as it is such a great fun as it is simple, young and colourful and yet projects a lot about that culture. So I tried those two schools and also concentrate on the plot.
I started writing, and it took me five years. I am so grateful that I have been able to take the film to so many workshops. The Sundance Institute writer’s lab was amazing, and they really supported the film. I am very proud to be part of their alumni.
- This is a movie that was shot in a country where there is no film industry so how difficult a process has it been to get this movie off the ground and made?
It was definitely very difficult. People didn’t believe that we would be able to shoot in Saudi Arabia as it is very conservative and is not open to film.
To find a producer that believed in the project enough to come to Saudi Arabia was very difficult. I was very grateful to Razor Films from Germany to come on board and take up the challenge.
Because we don’t have the culture of film, I didn’t have anything to build up from, and I felt alone while I was trying to create things. I borrowed from other cultures such as Italy to make my own voice.
- It would have been so easy to shoot this film in another country but were adamant that the film was to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia so what were you so keen for that?
I wanted to bring a slice of life from Saudi Arabia to the big screen. Furthermore, there are no images coming out of Saudi Arabia and so people do not know what is happening.
I also wanted to make an authentic film, and I wanted to have an authentic Saudi voice; for me to go and film somewhere else would have taken a lot of the merit away and that was not what I wanted.
Saudi Arabia is an exciting place where things are moving and things are happening, and I feel very privileged to be part of what is happening.
The changes may not be big, and they may not be radical but society is opening and there is a place for women and a place for art. For me, it is an amazing feeling to be part of this new thing that is happening to our society.
- They always say that you should never work with children, but Waad Mohammed gives a terrific central performance. So what were you looking for when you were casting this very crucial role?
I based the character a lot on one of my nieces; she is great and has a sense of humour and always has schemes to earn money somehow. It was really hard to find girls to audition because Saudi Arabia is very conservative, and we couldn’t put out a casting call.
Every girl who came I would try to find a part of the girl that inspired the role in her. When Waad came in it was amazing to see her because she was wearing jeans, had scruffy hair and was listening to Justin Bieber (laughs); it was amazing to see that.
Then she had this beautiful voice; she sang for us, and I just felt that we had found her.
She is very smart and she learnt to do anything. It was amazing for me as a director to work with an actor who just looks at you and wants you to tell them what to do.
She had these open eyes and this concentration and was just like a sponge just wanting to understand exactly what I mean. It is a privilege for directors to be able to work with actors in this way.
- This is her first acting role, and so she is very inexperienced in front of the camera, so how did you find that as a director?
It was very fresh for me. A lot of people work in TV, and so I need to work with them a little to get rid of the TV overacting and to help them to calm down and give me less. It is nice to work with someone who has never worked in TV.
- Can you talk a bit about the casting process for the other characters?
Reem Abdullah is a bit movie star and so for her to come to the film was a step down as Reem is very established. So it was a risk for her to take on the role was as she is very well known.
I am very glad that she came on board. It was great working with her as well because she gave me so much from her soul. She was willing to go with me into that space it is wonderful to find an actress who will do that.
Abdullrahman Al Gohani was one of the best actors that I have ever worked with as he was very organised. He would come to the set with his script all organised, and sentences would be highlighted (laughs).
For me to find a young Saudi with work ethics like that is very modern for me. I loved working with him because he was always very motivated to work.
He speaks excellent English and so he would help Waad around the set; she didn’t speak English, and would translate for her when the DOP said something. It was really nice working with everyone on this film.
- We have already talked about how difficult a process it was getting this film made but what challenges did you face once you were on set and filming?
The country is segregated when you are outside, and so it was hard for me to be on set with the rest of the crew. I was quite often in a van, and I had to direct through a monitor and a walkie-talkie. It was frustrating to be in a confined space and unable to go outside for blocking and to see the physical set.
But it was a rewarding experience for me overall because it made me work harder and find the heart of the scene and empower actors.
- This is your first feature-length film so how have you found the transition away from shorts?
Very frightening (laughs). It was very scary as it took me five years just to put the project together.
Sometimes I felt that things were not progressing, and I was so nervous that we wouldn’t be able to continue. When we had done some scenes I sent the rushes over to our editor in Germany, and I would say ‘it doesn’t work. I tried to put it together, and it doesn’t work’.
That is the scariest thing for a director when you write a scene, and it works on paper and yet it doesn’t work visually. Sometimes we couldn’t afford to go back and have another go at it. It was very stressful.
When we got into the editing room, I would sometimes close the door and cry because things were not working. I had to put a strong face on.
When the film was out I told myself ‘I have put everything into this film, and we will see how it goes. Whatever happens, I need to have thick skin, and I should receive every criticism with an open-heart’.
- How have you found the response to the film so far in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world?
It has just been amazing. We showed the film in Saudi Arabia in cultural places and tried to sell tickets. What struck me was that young Saudi’s identified with the character, and they really do see themselves in it.
While I wanted to create a film that would travel around the world, I wanted to maintain this authenticity where Saudi’s feel this ownership of the film; so I was excited to see this happening.
When you write it is such a lonely process and you don’t know if it is funny or not you just write what you feel. You experiment with things, and you hope that people will see that when the film is out. It is very rewarding as an artist when you get such a great response from an audience.
- The movie has been doing really well on the festival circuit so how have you found the whole festival experience?
It is amazing. Just to go and talk to people and be part of the excitement and being with other artists. You learn a lot from going to all of these different places. There are so many wonderful artists in the world, and it is great to spend some time with them.
- How did you get into the film industry in the first place - we don’t see too many female Saudi-Arabian filmmakers?
I come from a small town where there was very little entertainment. I was one of twelve kids, and so my father would bring a lot of films home to keep us quiet.
Those films took me beyond my limited place, and I saw the world. We saw people falling in love and fighting for their country; very big concepts for us as kids. It was amazing just to be able to watch those films.
I never tried to be the first female filmmaker from Saudi Arabia, I was just trying to have a voice and wanted to bring my stories to the big screen.
- Finally, what is next for you?
I don’t know yet (laughs). I want to make another feature film, and I want to make another film in Saudi Arabia as it is such an exciting place with so much happening.
So hopefully I will find a story, and we will go back. We don’t have anything at the moment, but we are hopefully cooking something.
Wadjda is released 19th August.