The cinematic revolution in the Middle East over the last few of decades, led principally by a generation of Iranian filmmakers who've flourished creatively despite restrictions placed on them by the regime, hasn't necessarily carried over to every region. Saudi Arabia, for instance, is hardly known for its cinema, which isn't especially surprising, given that movie theaters were banned in the country 30 years ago. But things have been loosening up a little: theaters started to reopen around 2005, and six years ago, "Keif al-Hal?" was billed as the first-ever Saudi film (although mostly shot in the United Arab Emirates, and available only on pay-per-view in the nation), and a few others have subsequently followed. But "Wadjda" is reportedly the first film to be made entirely within the country, and even more unexpectedly, it's a film by a first-time female filmmaker, Haifaa Al-Mansour, in a country where women cannot drive or vote (the latter is set to change in 2015), and men...
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