The Perfect Candidate

  • 101'
  • Saudi Arabia
  • 2019

Young doctor Maryam (Mila Al Zahrani's debut) surprises everyone by standing as a candidate for the local municipality in Saudi Arabia. Wadjda made Haifaa Al Mansour the first director to ever shoot a film in its entirety in the kingdom. After two American titles (Mary Shelley and Nappily Ever After) she returned to Saudi Arabia for a story about women trying to break the glass ceiling there. Maryam's only desire is for the dirt road outside the local hospital to be surfaced, but no one takes this ambitious professional woman's modest political mission seriously.

Al Mansour depicts Maryam's political mission as a multi-layered family drama. She lovingly outlines how the new candidate is supported by her sisters and how her father, a musician, worries about her progressive values. On tour with his band in conservative areas, he realises Maryam's mission is about creative openness and freedom of expression.

  • 101'
  • Saudi Arabia
  • 2019
Director
Haifaa Al Mansour
Countries of production
Saudi Arabia, Germany
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
101'
Medium
DCP
Language
Arabic
Producers
Haifaa Al Mansour, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul
Production Companies
Haifaa Al Mansour’s Establishment for Audiovisual Media, Razor Film Produktion GmbH
Sales
The Match Factory GmbH
Screenplay
Haifaa Al Mansour, Brad Niemann
Cinematography
Patrick Orth
Editor
Andreas Wodraschke
Production Design
Olivier Meidinger
Sound Design
Sebastian Schmidt
Music
Volker Bertelmann
Cast
Mila Al Zahrani, Nourah Al Awad, Khalid Abdulrhim, Tareq Al Khaldi
Local Distributor
September Film
Director
Haifaa Al Mansour
Countries of production
Saudi Arabia, Germany
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
101'
Medium
DCP
Language
Arabic
Producers
Haifaa Al Mansour, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul
Production Companies
Haifaa Al Mansour’s Establishment for Audiovisual Media, Razor Film Produktion GmbH
Sales
The Match Factory GmbH
Screenplay
Haifaa Al Mansour, Brad Niemann
Cinematography
Patrick Orth
Editor
Andreas Wodraschke
Production Design
Olivier Meidinger
Sound Design
Sebastian Schmidt
Music
Volker Bertelmann
Cast
Mila Al Zahrani, Nourah Al Awad, Khalid Abdulrhim, Tareq Al Khaldi
Local Distributor
September Film