The film was supported by the Red Sea Fund and shot entirely in AlUla, northwest Saudi Arabia, featuring an all-Saudi cast and a 40% Saudi crew.
Saudi writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi’s film Norah has received a Special Mention from the Cannes jury in the Un Certain Regard category.
The nomination of Norah is significant as it marks the first film from Saudi Arabia to be entered into an official selection at the prestigious festival.
Director Tawfik Alzaidi, along with the cast and crew, took to the stage to accept the accolade in front of a full house.
The Un Certain Regard category, established in 1978, runs parallel to the festival’s long-running Palme d’Or competition and aims to recognise emerging talent and non-traditional narratives.
Set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, Norah is described as a moving narrative about the transformative power of art in inspiring and changing minds and hearts. Tawfik Alzaidi both penned and directed the film, making it the first Saudi Arabian feature entirely shot in the AlUla region of Saudi Arabia.
The film centres around its titular character, portrayed by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi, an illiterate orphaned young woman trapped in a remote village facing an arranged marriage. Her encounter with Nader, an artist turned schoolteacher played by Saudi star Yaqoub Alfarhan, ignites a profound passion for art and a yearning for a life beyond the confines of her village.
Shot in AlUla, a vast expanse of Saudi desert and ancient city ruins, Norah received acclaim and financial support from the Saudi Film Commission’s Daw Film Competition, an initiative launched in 2019 to nurture Saudi film talent and production.
Produced by Alzaidi and US producer Paul Miller, alongside Jordanian producer Sharif Majali, Norah represents a collaborative effort between Saudi production companies Black Sugar Pictures and Nebras Films.
Global rights to Norah were secured in December by TwentyOne Entertainment, a new Riyadh-based company launched by former Universal Pictures executive Paul Chesney, underscoring the film’s international appeal and the growing recognition of Saudi talent in the global film industry.