al-Mansour is the eighth (out of twelve) child of the Saudi Arabian poet Abdul Rahman Mansour. He had introduced her to films by video, there being no movie theaters in Saudi Arabia between 1983 and 2018.
With her father's encouragement, she studied comparative literature at The American University in Cairo. She later completed a master's degree in Film Studies from University of Sydney, Australia
One of al-Mansour's favorite actors was Jackie Chan. She is from Al Zulfi but grew up in Al-Hasa. She is one of the country's best-known and most controversial directors, and the first female Saudi filmmaker.
Among her credits, al-Mansour is best known for writing and directing her debut feature. This was the 2012 Saudi Arabian drama film 'Wadjda'.
Set in the 2000s, the titular rebellious but spirited Saudi girl (Waad Mohammed, a first-time actress) enters a Koran recitation competition at her school. She does this because she has dreamt of owning a green bicycle that she passes at a store every day on her way to school.
Wadjda wants to race against her friend Abdullah (Abdullrahman Al Gohani), a boy from her neighborhood. However, riding bikes is frowned upon for girls.
Wadjda's mother (Reem Abdullah) even refuses to buy one for her. The bike is expensive, costing SR800 (~$213).
The film premiered at the 69th Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the critical consensus reads:
"Transgressive in the best possible way, Wadjda presents a startlingly assured new voice from a corner of the globe where cinema has been all but silenced."
Film critics cite the ways ''Wadjda' is able to grapple with important societal issues, while also accurately understanding the limits of large-scale change.
New York Times film critic A.O. Scott states, "With impressive agility, Wadjda finds room to maneuver between harsh realism and a more hopeful kind of storytelling"; it accurately shows the immense challenges women face in Saudi Arabia, while also showing that there is room for change and growth."
New Yorker film critic Anthony Lane feels similarly, as he argues that there are many ways 'Wadjda' could have done more of a disservice to women in Saudi Arabia, rather than helping expose their inequality.
He says that Wadjda strikes the right balance, in that it is enjoyable to watch, while also effective in calling for social change.
According to the al-Mansour, it took five years to make ''Wadjda. She had spent most of the time trying to find financial backing and getting filming permission, since she insisted on filming in Saudi Arabia for reasons of authenticity.
Al-Mansour's screenplay was influenced by neorealism cinema, Vittorio De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves' and the Dardenne brother's 'Rosetta'. The last scene recalls the final shot of François Truffaut's 'The 400 Blows'.
Al-Mansour says that the original version of her screenplay was much bleaker than the finished product: "I decided I didn't want the film to carry a slogan and scream, but just to create a story where people can laugh and cry a little."
Al-Mansour based the character of Wadjda on one of her nieces and also on her own experiences when growing up.
The main themes of the story are freedom, as represented by the bicycle, and the fear of emotional abandonment, as Wadjda's father wants to take a second wife who will provide him with a son.
'Wadjda' was filmed on the streets of Riyadh, which often made it necessary for the director to work from the back of a van, as she could not publicly mix with the men in the crew.
Often, al-Mansour could only communicate via walkie-talkie and had to watch the actors on a monitor.
This made it difficult to direct: "It made me realize the need to rehearse and to develop an understanding for each scene before we shot it."
In 2015, al-Mansour was selected to be on the jury for the Un Certain Regard section of the 68th Cannes Film Festival.
In January 2019, al-Mansour "received a Crystal Award at the 48th World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Graubünden, Switzerland. This was for her leadership in cultural transformation in the Arab world.
Al-Mansour lived in Bahrain for some years, and eventually moved to California with her husband, Bradley Niemann, an American diplomat, and their two children, Adam and Haylie.
Al-Mansour is the first female Saudi filmmaker and is regarded as one of the most significant cinematic figures in the Kingdom.
Al-Mansour has been active from 2001–present.
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