00:01Arab female film directors have helped change the landscape of Arab cinema in recent years,
00:06presenting stories that haven't been told before,
00:08and claiming space in an industry in a region that really makes room for women to grow.
00:15Four influential female directors took part in this year's Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah,
00:21paving the way for more diverse narratives in Arab cinema.
00:24The only portrayals that I saw of us were these horrific stereotypes that maligned us.
00:36And my family suffered a great deal of racism because of these stereotypes.
00:42And so with that experience, I chose to become a filmmaker in order to really change the narrative,
00:47to be part of that change.
00:50The festival, bringing together 38 directors, showcases Saudi Arabia's heavy investment in film,
00:58gaming and sports as part of its broader transformation efforts.
01:03There are many stories to be told,
01:06and it's a very important means to create a beautiful image of the Arab world,
01:11which the West has tried to distort.
01:14After the 9-11, they portrayed us as terrorists and in an ugly light,
01:18an orientalist image.
01:20And I always say that I love to tell our history, Arab and Islamic stories,
01:25to show the world who we truly are.
01:27And filmmaking is a wonderful way to spread who we really are.
01:31Palestinian-American filmmaker Sherry and Debbie's premiered her new film,
01:35All That's Left of You,
01:36a multi-generational story tracing one family's experience from the 1948 Nakba,
01:41which means Arabic for catastrophe.
01:43The mass expansion of Palestinians before and during the Arab-Israeli war
01:47that followed Israeli establishment to 2022.
01:50There is this kind of image of women filmmakers as overly emotional
01:55and unable to make decisions or command a set.
02:00And I felt I had to overcome some of those wrong images of us as women, you know.
02:07Some rascals have criticised these actions,
02:10saying they serve to draw away attention from the kingdom's human rights records,
02:13including its high rate of executions and restrictions on free expression.
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