WADJDA

Young Wadjda dreams of owning a green bicycle. She wants to race a boy from the neighborhood, but the law prohibits girls from riding bikes. Just as she is losing hope, she hears about a cash prize for a Koran recitation competition at her school. Wadjda decides to earn the cash to fulfil her dream.

Influenced by Italian neorealism, Wadjda is a heartfelt and charming tale about a child’s conviction against the odds. Both the first woman director from Saudi Arabia, and the first filmmaker to entirely shoot a film there, Haifaa Al-Mansour crafts this delightful hymn to the heft of small battles.