Saudi director Haifaa al-Mansour to participate at TIFF 2017

CAIRO – 2 August 2017: Saudi-Arabian woman director Haifaa al-Mansour will be participating in this year's Toronto International Film Festival, with her latest film, "Mary Shelley", set to premiere.

The film follows the life of the titular author and the events that would lead her to write the revolutionary 'Frankenstein'.

Mansour rose to international attention with her 2012 film 'Wadjda', a comedy/drama about a 10-year old girl who wishes to buy a green bicycle and tries her best to acquire it, despite her mother's refusal.

She then comes up with a plan to gain the funds herself by winning her school's Koran recital. Wadjda is also the first ever film to be fully shot in Saudi Arabia, and was nominated for a BAFTA award.