Wadjda

The first feature film ever shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and the first by a female Saudi filmmaker, this sparkling movie tells the story of a free-spirited 10-year-old girl named Wadjda, who lives in the suburbs of Riyadh. She has her heart set on buying a beautiful green bicycle so she can race her friend Abdullah, but her mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that says women can’t ride bicycles. In an effort to raise the money herself, Wadjda enters a Koran recitation competition at her school, where she must pose as a pious model student to achieve her goal. This groundbreaking film offers a fascinating window into a closed society and a story of hope and progress.