« I cannot open my own production company because I need a male sponsor » . Saudis’ women are deprived from the right of existing. They do not have the right to express themselves or drive. They need a man’s permission to travel and or to create a company or even to go to the supermarket. Haifaa al-Mansour broke all the rules. She is the first female Saudi filmmaker, for that she was selected to be on the jury for the « Un Certain Regard » section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Interview.

You father is the poet Abdul Rahman Mansour, how did he influence your personality and career?

My dad is an amazing man. I think the important role he played is that he gave me the shelter. In a place like Saudi Arabia, women cannot do anything without men’s permission. I never felt that he was my male guardian and he never stopped me from dreaming. When I was a kid, I told him that I wanted to be an astronaut and he said, « Yeah but you have to be good in math ». He never tried to tell me no you cannot do this or that. He wanted me to believe in myself and work hard and it doesn’t matter if I am a woman or where I belong. I will always succeed if I believe in myself.

You don’t even have cinema theaters in Saudi Arabia, do you find it acceptable?

I do not find it acceptable but I find Saudi Arabia is opening more and more and hopefully we will find a space for art. I think we don’t have cinema theatres because the public exhibition of art is considered corrupted and impure in very conservative Islamic ideologies that the country is based on. We are seeing more people who want to be in the public spaces and who want to have fun.

Do you find it paradoxical that there are no cinema theaters in Saudi Arabia but the Saudis travel and watch movies?

In fact it is paradoxical. They don’t need to travel they have very big screens in their houses. It is also the responsibility of the filmmakers to make movies that can make people feel proud of. We need to engage in this dialogue with people and make films that people will love and appreciate.

How did the Saudis respond to your movies, especially the last one « Wadjida »?

They know that I stand for women’s rights but I do it in a way that respects the other brace. It is just that I want to have a space with them. It is like coexisting and it is very important to always emphasize that. Saudis nominated the film for the Best Foreign Language Oscar and that is a step forward. Some women who were engaged a lot with the film cried. Some people are skeptical. They don’t want to talk about women’s rights.

How do you describe women’s situation in Saudi Arabia?

I think there is a lot of improvement but there is so many things woman can do in Saudi Arabia. For example, I cannot open my own production company because i need a male sponsor. There are so many limitations especially for women who are having careers. You always need a man to sponsor you and to finish your paper work. You will always feel incomplete as a woman. I believe Saudi women are very strong and there are lot of them who are well educated and they have careers. They struggle with this very complicated situation but they are determinate to move forward. I have so much respect for Saudi women. There is aggression towards women who try to do something different. The conservatives feel threatened and they are afraid to loose their values and who they are and I sympathize with that kind of fear they have and insecurity.

Are you planning to make movies about women’s suffering in Syria?

Woman victims in the war are a very passionate issue to me even women soldiers. And for me it is a subject of representation. We need to defend women whether they are soldiers, war victims or forced to a young marriage. Women are suffering a lot all over the world and we need to stand and support each other.

 Interview by Carmen Joukhadar