Being nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award. -Stacie Passon, Concussion You really can’t imagine how big of a deal this is for me. I come from the middle-of-nowhere Saudi Arabia, a country without cinemas, and now I’m going to the Spirit Awards; imagine! For me the best thing about this nomination is to see a Saudi film being considered in the same category with such amazing films from all around the world. It makes me choke up a little, and makes the dream of someday seeing cinemas in the Kingdom seem that much more real. -Haifaa Al Mansour, Wadjda
What are you most looking forward to about the ceremony?
I hear that it happens during the daytime, and it’s a brunch on the beach. It sounds like a wonderful thing and unusual. It’s pretty cold in New York so I look forward to being on the beach. -Moors Seeing my friends and meeting Haifaa Al Mansour. –Passon Seeing celebrities! Even though making this film has given me the opportunity to rub shoulders with a lot of famous and accomplished people in the film industry I still get a little star struck. I really just love having the opportunity to talk with people who are as passionate as I am about film. -Al Mansour
Have you started sweating an acceptance speech yet?
No. I have not. I’m probably better when I improvise. It’ll probably be a spur-of-the-moment type thing. I know I have to thank my wife or I’ll be in trouble. -Moors Um, no. –Passon I just wing it, but I always worry that I will leave out someone important from my ‘thank you’ list. There are so many people that stood by me throughout it all and were absolutely crucial in getting the film made; I could go on and on all night thanking people! -Al Mansour
What’s your strategy for selecting an outfit for the ceremony?
I have one suit I recycle for all these events. It’s probably more problematic for my wife who’ll start agonizing. But I have no problem with that. -Moors Walk into my closet blindfolded, turn around three times and wear what I bump into. –Passon I want to wear something fun! Coming from such a conservative place, where you can’t really express yourself through fashion, I want to just go and have fun. -Al Mansour
Was there a moment when you considered throwing in the towel on making this film, and what stopped you?
I made film because I didn’t want to throw out the towel. That was the origin of the project. The film itself was my response to not wanting to have to wait for the green light and wait for approval. I just gathered the resources that I had and it’s been a wonderful journey and a wonderful experience. The whole project was born from a desire to not wait to go to it. My advice for young filmmakers would be that: Don’t let anything stop you. -Moors No, never, she said with a slight smile. –Passon Every moment! This is the first film ever shot inside of Saudi Arabia so literally every step along the way was a challenge. It took me about five years from the time I conceived of the story to the time we finished shooting. Filming in Riyadh was quite a challenge. People aren’t used to having cameras around so we were especially cautious, even though we had permission to shoot publicly. For a lot of the outdoor scenes we knew we were going to face a lot of difficulties, from religious police and conservative bystanders to sandstorms to nervous partners, so we had to be ready to work with what we had on any given day. We used a handheld camera sometimes to save time and give the actors freedom with their movements. I occasionally directed from a protected spot, like a van, so people wouldn’t see me (a woman) interacting publicly with the crew (men). It wasn’t your typical movie set to say the least! -Al Mansour
Did you ever have one of those magical moments on set when all the stars aligned and things turned out even better than you’d ever imagined?
Absolutely. Weather. We were shooting in September and the weather kept changing. We had storms and showers and the sun would come out again. We were waiting on those moments and changing the sets according to those moments. It was like not only directing actors but directing the weather. It felt like the world was my oyster, and we were making it rain. There were a few moments all the stars aligned and it was very emotional experience actually. -Moors Yes, the second day, when Robin Weigert and Kate Rogal did a three-minute “oner” flawlessly four times in a row. I kept wondering how I was going to choose between the takes. –Passon There was one moment when we were filming the scene when Wadjda sees the bike for the first time mounted on top of a truck. We were filming openly on this fairly busy street in Riyadh, in front of a strip mall, and we had the track all set up and everything, and we were all so worried that we would get shut down, but the scene just clicked perfectly. I remember watching the faces of our crew, and these two very different cultures—the Germans and the Saudis—all sharing this feeling of pride of how it was coming together. It was really special. -Al Mansour
What’s the most important thing you learned while making this film?
To trust my own gut, trust my vision and to try to actually not listen to too many voices at the end of day. The director is the voice of the film and to not compromise. A few times I found myself on the verge of compromising. And I’m glad I didn’t. Don’t doubt yourself. -Moors I learned that it is ok to compromise. Filmmaking is so collaborative, you have to be open to other people’s ideas and expertise. I am really grateful that I had such a great team to work with and learn from on this film. -Al Mansour
What do they never tell first-time filmmakers, but should?
Trust your instincts and no matter what, listen to your voice. Don’t let inexperience make you influence-able. -Moors Some crazy Saudi girl made a movie in Saudi Arabia, where women can’t even drive and they don’t even have movie theaters. So hang in there, anything is possible! -Al Mansour By Pamela Miller / Website & Grants Manager
