The Audience Award
The Audience Award offered by Mastercard went to the Middle East, to a first time feature entirely shot in Saudi Arabia which is also the first Saudi Arabian film made by a woman: „Wadjda” (by Haifaa Al-Mansour).
Synopsis:
Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda’s mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself...
