Corrie Film Club

On Sunday February 9th the Film Club shows an enchanting film called Wadjda. It soared into the Best Film of 2013 as a funny, romantic story that keeps its political edge subtly hidden. It is the first Saudi Arabian feature to be directed by a woman, and it’s an absolute delight.

Shot in the suburbs of Riyadh, it tells the story of Wadjda, a 10-year-old girl who has set her heart on a green bicycle she has seen, because she wants to race against her friend Abdullah. Her mother is horrified. She believes a girl might lose her virginity if she rides a bike, and anyway, Wadjda is approaching puberty and should not now be playing with a boy she has known since she was small.

Wadjda, played by Waad Mohammed, understands all that, and doesn’t care. She knows, too, that the Islamic religion plays a large part in the restrictions that Saudi women accept, and devises a way to use it for her own purposes. She enters a Qur’an reading competition at school, presenting herself as a devout, serious student – and wins. The prize is the money she needs to buy the bike. This gentle send-up of the male-dominated religious system can hardly be described as revolutionary, but it must have caused many women in Islamic countries to smile – and for the wider world, it is an enchanting eye-opener.

The showing starts at 8.00pm in Corrie Hall and is open to everyone, free of charge, though contributions to hall heating costs are always welcomed.