Haifaa Al Mansour, Film Director and Screenwriter, has been named the first recipient of the “Special Recognition” award at CineEurope. The award will be presented as part of the CineEurope Awards Ceremony hosted by the Coca-Cola Company on Thursday, 14 June, at the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain.
“CineEurope is thrilled to be able to present Haifaa Al Mansour the first ever “Special Recognition” award for her remarkable achievements as an industry leader in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Andrew Sunshine, President of the Film Expo Group. “Haifaa is one of the most significant cinematic figures in the kingdom. We congratulate Al Mansour on this well-deserved honor.”
Al Mansour is known as the first female director in Saudi Arabia. She began her film career with three shorts and is known for her the award-winning Wadjda (2012), which is about a young Saudi girl who wants to ride a bicycle in her country but isn’t allowed to. The film was the first feature length movie to be shot entirely in the conservative kingdom and was also the first production from the Saudi Arabia to be submitted for Academy Award deliberation in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
In 2017, Al Mansour’s film Mary Shelley premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was her first English language film.
In March 2018, Saudi Arabian authorities established the kingdom’s first ever film organization, the Saudi Film Council as a platform to encourage and develop creative talent in the country. An official statement has revealed that the first production to be supported by the film council will be none other than Haifa Al Mansour’s The Perfect Candidate.
In 2018, she is one of 3 women on the board of the General Authority for Culture, who will supervise creative development in Saudi Arabia, following the lifting of it’s 35-year cinema ban last December.
About CineEurope
CineEurope 2018 will take place 11-14 June at the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain. CineEurope is the longest-running and most successful European convention and trade show for Major, Regional, and Independent cinema professionals. CineEurope will feature exclusive screenings and product presentations of upcoming films, sponsored events, timely and informative seminars and the CineEurope Trade Show. CineEurope is the Official Convention of the Union Internationale des Cinémas/International Union of Cinemas (UNIC).
About UNIC
The Union Internationale des Cinémas/International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) represents the interests of cinema trade associations and cinema operators covering 37 countries in Europe and in neighbouring regions.
About Film Expo Group
The Film Expo Group is the premier organizer of events in the motion picture industry. The Film Expo Group produces CineEurope, held in Barcelona; ShowEast, held in Miami; and CineAsia, held in Hong Kong. Additionally, the group publishes, Film Journal International, a trade magazine and website covering the motion picture industry with a special emphasis on theatrical exhibition.
Additional information on CineEurope can be found at www.cineeurope.net.