There aren't many filmmakers who have overcome as much or impacted their local film industries as significantly as Saudi director Haifaa al-Mansour. Against all odds, in a country the World Economic forum ranked 141 out of 144 for gender parity, where most women aren't allowed to drive or even make important decisions…

Saudi Arabia’s new national film organization the Saudi Film Council is supporting its first feature in the shape of Wadja director Haifaa Al-Mansour’s upcoming The Perfect Candidate. The movie will be produced by Al Mansour Productions in Saudi Arabia and Gerhard Meixner and Roman Paul of Razor Film Produktion in…

Barakah Meets Barakah, the debut feature of writer/director Mahmoud Sabbagh, has been selected to represent Saudi Arabia in the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race. The movie, which debuted in Berlin, thus becomes the second-ever entry from the kingdom. It follows Haifaa Al Mansour's 2013 charmer Wadjda, which was…

Last year, I offered up a preview of the 15 films that had the most buzz going into the unveiling of the Foreign Language Oscar shortlist. Somehow this year, with a record 76 entries (last year it was 71), I whittled down another 15 films that have a shot at the shortlist which is expected to be finalized later this…

Brian Brooks is a Deadline contributor. It was all about Fox Searchlight’s Enough Said in the Specialty Box Office. The feature directed by Nicole Holofcener starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the late James Gandolfini easily scored the weekend’s highest numbers, taking in $240K in 4 theaters for a $60K average. That is…

Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour's Wadjda, the first-ever feature shot entirely inside the Kingdom – and notably the first Saudi film made by a female director – has now become the Kingdom’s first entry ever submitted to the Oscars. Sultan AI Bazie, head of the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts, and…

Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda is the first-ever feature shot entirely inside the Kingdom – and notably the first Saudi film made by a female director. It debuted in Venice last year where Al Mansour said she was sometimes relegated to directing by telephone since Saudi law does not allow women and…

NEW YORK (September 15, 2012) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all North American rights to WADJDA from Berlin-based Razor Films. Written and Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, WADJDA is the first feature film shot entirely in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia–and the first ever by a Saudi female…

This morning, Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour shared details of what it's like to be the first female director of a Saudi film which is also the first-ever feature shot entirely inside the Kingdom. Speaking of Venice Horizons entry Wadjda, she said she was sometimes relegated to directing by telephone. Saudi…