Berlin Film Festival to show first Saudi production

One of the world’s leading film festivals will show its first Saudi movie in February.

The Berlin International Film Festival will run Saudi director and actress Ahd Kamel’s short film ‘Sanctity’ at the prestigious event, the movie having already received the Development Award at the  Doha Tribeca Film Festival in November.

Kamel’s second directorial effort tells the tale of Areej, a young widow who tries to protect her unborn child. Kamel also stars in the film, alongside Mohamed Ottman and Mohamed Baker.

The first Saudi woman to study acting and filmmaking in the US, Kamel worked on Hollywood movies including ‘The Kingdom’ with director Peter Berg in 2007. She won the Golden Gate Award for Best Actress at the San Francisco International Film Festival for her role in Turkish film Razn, and was also a lead actress in Wadjda, by Saudi director Haifa Al-Mansour, which won Best Arabic Feature Film at the Dubai Film Festival.

Kamel’s debut as a director was short film ‘The Shoemaker’, which she wrote, produced, and starred in along with Egyptian start Amr Waked. The movie won numerous awards from Arab and international festivals, including the Gulf Film Festival and Beirut Film Festival.

The Berlin Film Festival begins on 7 February.