This week at the Berlin Film Festival, National Geographic Documentary Films purchased Saudi Runaway, a story about a young woman attempting to flee the country.
Via Variety Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival
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What’s happening:
- National Geographic Documentary Films has purchased the documentary film Saudi Runaway, ahead of its screening this week at the Berlin Film Festival.
- Variety shared the news of the acquisition this morning.
- The film premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival where it was in competition under the World Documentary category.
About the documentary:
- Directed by Susanne Regina Meures, Saudi Runaway tells the story of a young woman living in Saudi Arabia who wants to flee the country before her arranged marriage. Using her cell phone, she secretly documented what life is like for Saudi women living with few freedoms.
- The young woman worked closely with Meures—the two spoke daily for several months—to complete this film which gives audiences an inside look at Saudi Arabia’s patriarchal culture.
- Meures wrote the documentary and produced it along with Christian Frei.
What they’re saying:
- Susanne Regina Meures: “Muna is one of the strongest-willed and most courageous women I know. Unprecedented, as a Saudi woman, Muna dares to speak up. She shares her pain and offers us a glimpse into a hidden world. Although the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is at the centre of world affairs, very few authentic images of life there exist. Muna’s story is of great urgency and relevance and essentially summarizes a human rights drama at its core.”
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