Wadjda: Saudi Arabia Selects First Foreign-Language Entry for Oscars

“Wadjda,” the first feature made in Saudi Arabia, has now been selected as the country’s official submission for the Oscars’ foreign language category. The film is breaking all kinds of glass ceilings, as it was written, directed and shot (in secret) by a woman, Haifaa Mansour, and marks Saudi Arabia’s first Oscar submission.

Sultan Al Bazie, head of the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts and chairman of the nominating committee said, “We are very proud of the film as an authentic representation of our country and culture, and are very pleased to see the themes and story of the film resonate with audiences well beyond our borders.”

Mansour, 39, sees the Kingdom’s support of the film as a very positive move. "I am so thrilled to hear the news," Mansour said. "It means that Saudi Arabia is recognizing film as an art form. It's a very hopeful sign," she told the LA Times.

“Wadjda” follows one girl’s simple quest: to get a bicycle. Because she is a girl, enjoying this simple pastime is forbidden by law. She enrolls in a Koranic recitation competition to win the prize money in order to by the bike. Critics have already highly praised the performance of the young lead, Waad Mohammed. The film premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival and is now being distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, which in the foreign language Oscar category boasts six wins in the past seven years.