Reframing Saudi Womanhood: Female Authorship and Representation in Contemporary Saudi Cinema

Abstract

Following Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the Kingdom has developed an emerging film industry with the aim of supporting and amplifying local creatives. This research examines this film landscape as a space for opportunities without being restricted by previous narratives but also as a state-supported industry that is carefully monitored. It focuses on the role of Saudi female filmmakers in reframing perception of Saudi Arabian identity on both national and international scales. By claiming their authority as filmmakers, Saudi women are defining their identities as active change-makers in a world that considered them passive background subjects. They build stories based on their personal experience which gives them the power to challenge external misrepresentations that have reduced them to tropes of victimhood, exoticisation or silence. This dissertation analyses Fatima Al-Banawi’s Basma (2024), as a film that tackles issues of gender and mental health, showcasing how films can be used to challenge social norms in a sensitive environment.