Saudi Film Nominated for Oscar

76 Movies Nominated For Best Foreign Film Oscar–first submission by Saudi Arabia ever

By Almas Akhtar, TMO

It’s a new record in Oscar history when 76 foreign movies from all over the world are submitted to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. Saudi Arabia has submitted a movie named “Wadja” for the first time ever. This movie, by Haifaa al-Mansour, is a movie about a young girl’s quest to own a bicycle in the super conservative Muslim kingdom where women are deprived of many rights, for example driving cars which they are prohibited from doing in Saudi Arabia.

The film was directed by Saudi Arabia’s first female filmmaker, Haaifa Al Mansour. The entire movie was shot in the country, the film won best Arabic feature award at the Dubai Film Festival last year, and also picked up an award at the Cannes Film Festival in March.

The Academy for Motion Picture Art and Sciences will announce the list of films nominated for “Best Foreign Language Oscar “ in mid-January, 2014.

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