Haifaa al-Mansour

Haifaa alMansour is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia and is regarded as one of the most significant cinematic figures in the Kingdom She finished her bachelors degree in Literature at the American University in Cairo and completed a Masters degree in Directing and Film Studies from the University of Sydney The success of her three short films as well as the international acclaim of her awardwinning 2005 documentary Women Without Shadows influenced a whole new wave of Saudi filmmakers and made the issue of opening cinemas in the Kingdom a frontpage discussion Within the Kingdom her work is both praised and vilified for encouraging discussion on topics generally considered too taboo like tolerance the dangers of orthodoxy and the need for Saudis to take a critical look at their traditional and restrictive culture