King Salman’s has issued a decree to lift the ban. It is a victory for women’s rights, though many other restrictions remain. A new generation is pushing for change.
This film presents some of the pioneers who are seeking to improve the lot of Saudi women and reshape Saudi society. In December 2015, women were allowed to vote and to run as candidates in municipal elections for the first time. Rasha Hefzi was elected as a city councillor in Jeddah. When conservative men on the council said she should not sit in the chamber with them, she refused to play along. Hefzi belongs to a new generation of independent-minded Saudi women who are staking claims in the professions, business and, now, politics, and who are not afraid to voice criticism of Saudi society. Two female film makers from Germany spent several weeks in Saudi Arabia making this film about such exceptional women.
