Selves Set Free

Saudi film director Haifaa Al-Mansour's The Wedding Singer's Daughter delivers a game-changing message for Miu Miu's Women's Tales series

It's night-time in 1980s Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Glittery and glamorous heels climb out of cars. Women shrouded in traditional black abayas make their way into a wedding hall, where they reveal what's underneath: dazzling dresses and wild hair. Their true selves are set free, unseen by the male gaze. There are strict segregation rules in Saudi weddings. All eyes and ears are on the wedding singer, until the electricity suddenly cuts out. "This is the worst wedding singer ever," guests mutter condescendingly. Will the young daughter manage to save her mother's dignity?

The Wedding Singer's Daughter, directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, is the 16th commission from the Miu Miu Women's Tales short-film series, which each year premieres at the Venice Film Festival in September. The works invite contemporary female directors to investigate vanity and femininity in the 21st century; previous directors have included Dakota Fanning, Celia Rowlson-Hall and Chloe Sevigny.