Selves set free

"I want to continue making films," says Al-Mansour. "It's hard to deal with societies that are very conservative, but patience pays off - especially with cinema, which in Saudi Arabia was illegal until recently." The Saudi government has given the go-ahead for her new film, The Perfect Candidate, to be shot in the country, with the backing of the new national Saudi Film Council. It's a huge victory for the director. "I have backing and funding from the government now that cinema is legal again, so I will not be hiding in a van and I will be able to shoot in the streets - more relaxed, more engaged with the art."

To substantiate the point about the growing narrative of feminine power, Al-Mansour cast Los Angeles-based Saudi pop singer Rotana Tarabzouni, a role model to women world over, as the wedding singer in The Wedding Singer's Daughter. "I feel like I truly represent the growing pains of Saudi Arabia," says Tarabzouni. "