Mohamed Hefzy and Fatima AlBanawi produce 'Basma' through their respective production companies, Film Clinic and Alf Wad.
Netflix has released the Saudi film Basma, the feature directorial debut of Saudi actress and filmmaker Fatima AlBanawi. AlBanawi not only directed the film but also wrote the script and stars as the title character, a young Saudi woman who returns to her hometown after studying in the US, only to discover her family has been hiding her father’s mental illness and broken relationships.
Filmed in Jeddah, Basma was among the first projects to receive support from the Red Sea Film Foundation. The film is produced by Egyptian producer and screenwriter Mohamed Hefzy of Film Clinic and AlBanawi’s Alf Wad, with Daniel Ziskind, Film Clinic’s Paris-based representative in Europe, serving as the associate producer.
“There are 7bn versions of normal on this planet. I hope I managed to deliver one of them,” said Al-Banawi, who also wrote and directed the film.
“After we finished filming ‘Basma,’ I wondered whether there would be anything better than dreams coming true, and I realized the only thing better than that is to be able to dream.”
AlBanawi first gained international attention with her performance in Mahmoud Sabbagh’s comedy Barakah Meets Barakah, which premiered at the Berlinale and was Saudi Arabia’s second-ever entry to the Academy Awards in 2016.
In recent years, Netflix has been actively supporting Arab women filmmakers with grants, mentorships, and showcases on the platform. Last year, Netflix partnered with the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) to train 45 emerging female talents from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE in various aspects of filmmaking. Participants will visit Netflix’s production hub in Europe early next year.
