Independent Spirit and Bafta Award Nominee Wadjda by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Recommended by Whom You Know Our Coverage Sponsored by ECO SWIM BY AQUA GREEN
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This review is dedicated to the women of the world of any age suffering oppression.
We pray for your total freedom.
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The simple pleasures of childhood are not quite so simple when you aren't fortunate enough to grow up in a beautiful part of America: namely, riding a bike. The desire for two wheels to pedal around evokes memories of Pee Wee Herman and his beloved bike in his Big Adventure, and though Wadjda leads an entirely different life with a contrasting sets of social circumstances in Saudi Arabia, her simple longing to have a bike is a universal feeling of joy and freedom, and once again Sony Pictures Home Entertainment winningly draws in the audience to see that in this big world we live in, we are not so different after all.
As the film opens, we meet
Wadjda at her girls school in practices of conformity, and you're going to fall in love with this cute little rebel from the start as you see her boom box and mix tapes showing how she enjoys life when she can, and when it's allowed in the privacy of her room.
Wadjda rocks Converse sneakers with her own panache while the other girls wear plain boring submissive required black shoes and you're just going to want her to jump out of your tv screen so you can give her a hug. You'll see that little boys annoying little girls is a universal trend, and of course it's only because they like them...and you'll see school buses too.
We totally loved
Wadjda's entrepreneurial endeavors and her full commitment to get that bike any way she could within her power: she makes bracelets, selling them at school. However, these bracelets, like the mix cassette tapes, are forbidden. Wadjda even goes to great lengths to learn religious lessons for school so she can win the contest-will she do it? And will she win that money for the bike? You will love the storyline and we won't give it all away.
Certain cultural references you may find shocking: women's voices are not meant to be heard in public. We were so saddened to see the challenges that women face in this culture and wish they had every freedom we are lucky to have here, and you'll leave the film for a tremendously heightened appreciation for your own life.
Wadjda is Recommended by Whom You Know! You're going to love this little girl rebel with a cause: her bike.
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Meet WADJDA, a little girl with big dreams who is determined to challenge traditional women’s roles in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release this groundbreaking film on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack* on February 11. In the spirit of its tenacious title character, WADJDA is the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia,
and was written and directed by Haifaa Al Mansour, Saudi Arabia’s first female filmmaker.
WADJDA was also Saudi Arabia’s submission in the Foreign Language Category for the 2014 Academy Awards®, marking the first time that the country has competed for the prestigious nomination. This Sony Pictures Classics film is nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and a BAFTA for Best Film not in the English Language and stars newcomer Waad Mohammed as Wadjda, as well as popular Saudi television star Reem Abdullah in her first feature film role as Wadjda’s sympathetic but cautious mother.
WADJDA took the prize for Best International Feature at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival, as well as three awards at the 2012 Venice Film Festival, including the Cinema for Peace prize. The National Board of Review honored WADJDA with its “Freedom of Expression” award. It was also an official selection at the Telluride, Tribeca and Toronto Film Festivals. Additionally, the film has received widespread critical acclaim, with Los Angeles Times’s Kenneth Turan calling the film
“a huge triumph for its female director … a remarkable film twice over.” The Playlist’s
Oliver Lyttelton concurred, calling it “One of the best films of the year! Something close to a miracle.” Special features on the Combo Pack will include a commentary with Writer/Director
Haifaa Al Mansour, a making-of featurette and a director’s guild Q&A with Al Mansour.
*Combo Pack Includes Blu-ray and DVD.
Synopsis
WADJDA, a fun-loving 10-year-old girl living in Saudi Arabia, has her heart set on a beautiful new bicycle. However, her mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. Determined to turn her dreams into reality and buy the bike on her own,
Wadjda uncovers the contradictions and opportunities in her world. Hilarious, heartbreaking and inspiring all at once, this groundbreaking film has charmed critics and audiences all over the globe.
Special Features Include:
Commentary with Writer/Director Haifaa Al Mansour
The Making of WADJDA featurette
Director’s Guild of America Q&A with Haifaa Al Mansour
WADJDA was written and directed by Haifaa Al Mansour. The film was produced by Razor Film, Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner and stars Reem Abdullah, Waad Mohammed and Abdullrahman Al Gohani.
WADJDA has a running time of 98 minutes and is rated PG for thematic elements, brief mild language and smoking. The film is in Arabic with English subtitles.
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