Haifaa Al Mansour discusses the obstacles of making her debut feature Wadjda and the next phase of Saudi filmmaking for women

Acclaimed Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour said the practical challenges of making her debut feature, Wadjda, reflected the social constraints of the time in the Kingdom. Speaking in an interview published June 19 by Deadline, Al Mansour recalled that she was not able to be physically near the actors during production, and that the production required communication by walkie-talkies to coordinate work.

Al Mansour’s comments came as she reflected on how her entry into feature directing intersected with gender boundaries and the day-to-day logistics of film production. Deadline’s account notes that Al Mansour was the first female from Saudi Arabia to helm a feature film, and that the restrictions she described were significant enough that they shaped how she worked with the cast and crew.

The interview framed Wadjda as both a creative milestone and a production test of what was possible in an environment defined by separation. Deadline reported that Al Mansour characterized the country as segregated and said that limitation prevented her from being with the actors, which in turn affected how direction was delivered on set.

In describing the gap between creative intention and on-the-ground conditions, Al Mansour’s remarks also highlighted the role of communication infrastructure in film work under restrictive circumstances. The use of walkie-talkies, as described by Deadline, served as an operational workaround that allowed her to direct while still adhering to the boundaries in place at the time.

Deadline’s interview also positioned Al Mansour’s experience within what she described as a new era in Saudi filmmaking, particularly for women. The publication’s framing emphasized that the breakthrough associated with Wadjda was closely linked to representation, including the ability for women to occupy senior creative roles in the Kingdom’s film industry.

The article further indicated that Al Mansour’s perspective on that evolution stems directly from the start of her feature career, when her first major directing work required adapting to constraints on proximity and interaction. By contrast, the interview’s focus on “a new era” suggested that the industry environment has changed since Wadjda’s production, even as the earlier experience remains part of her professional story.

No additional details about specific policies, production dates, or post-production timelines were included in the Deadline summary provided for this coverage. The new reporting therefore centers on Al Mansour’s account of the conditions surrounding Wadjda and her reflections on shifting circumstances for women filmmakers in Saudi Arabia.