Haifaa al-Mansour facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Haifaa al-Mansour
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Haifaa in 2011
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| Born | 10 August 1974 Al Zulfi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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| Occupation | Director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse(s) | Bradley Niemann |
| Children | 2 |
Haifaa al-Mansour (born August 10, 1974) is a famous film director from Saudi Arabia. She is known as one of the first and most important female filmmakers in her country.
Early life and education
Haifaa grew up in a big family with twelve children. Her father, a poet, loved movies and showed them to her using videos. This was important because there were no movie theaters in Saudi Arabia between 1983 and 2018. One of her favorite actors was Jackie Chan.
She was born in Al Zulfi but grew up in Al-Hasa. Even though her town was very traditional, her father would rent movies for their family to watch. Because movies were banned in Saudi Arabia, Haifaa and her family sometimes faced criticism. However, her father encouraged her and her siblings to follow their passions.
Haifaa's mother hoped she would become a doctor or an engineer. But Haifaa found her true calling in filmmaking. With her father's support, she studied comparative literature at The American University in Cairo. Later, she earned a master's degree in Film Studies from the University of Sydney, Australia.
Career
Haifaa started her filmmaking journey with three short films: Who?, The Bitter Journey, and The Only Way Out. The Only Way Out even won awards in the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands.
After her short films, she made a documentary called Women Without Shadows. This film explored the hidden lives of women in Arab States of the Persian Gulf. It was shown at 17 international festivals and won awards.
Her first full-length movie was Wadjda, which she both wrote and directed. It was shown for the first time at the Venice Film Festival in 2012. Wadjda was a very special film because it was the first full-length movie ever shot entirely in Saudi Arabia. It was also the only feature film made in Saudi Arabia by a female director as of 2013.
Wadjda tells the story of a 10-year-old girl in Riyadh who dreams of owning and riding a green bicycle. Making the film took five years due to many challenges. Because men and women are often kept separate in Saudi Arabia, Haifaa had to direct the movie from inside a small van. She used a monitor and a walkie-talkie to give instructions to her crew. She said it was a very difficult experience, but she was proud to be the first Saudi Arabian woman to make a feature film fully shot in her home country.
Wadjda was chosen as Saudi Arabia's first-ever entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards.
Haifaa often makes films about strong, independent women. She is inspired by her own experiences. Even though some people in her conservative town said filmmaking was forbidden in Islam, she continued to make movies. She wants to change how women in Saudi Arabia are seen and what they are allowed to do. Her films have encouraged important discussions on topics usually not talked about.
In 2017, she directed Mary Shelley, a romantic drama about the early life of the writer Mary Shelley. She also directed Nappily Ever After in 2018.
In 2019, Haifaa made her fourth feature film, The Perfect Candidate. This was the first movie to be supported by the new national Saudi Film Council.
Haifaa al-Mansour was chosen to be on the jury for the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. In January 2019, she received a Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum for her leadership in cultural change in the Arab world. She has also directed episodes for several TV series, including The Good Lord Bird in 2020.
Personal life
Haifaa al-Mansour lived in Bahrain for some years. She now lives in California with her husband, Bradley Niemann, who is an American diplomat. They have two children, Adam and Haylie.
Awards
- BAFTA award for Best Film Not in the English Language for Wadjda (2014)
- Sundance Film Festival Global Filmmaking Award (2015)
- Venice Film Festival Golden Lion nominee for The Perfect Candidate (2019)
See also
In Spanish: Haifaa al-Mansour para niños
