Anthology Film ‘Quareer,’ By Five Female Directors, Wins Big at Saudi Film Festival
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAnthology film “Quareer,” by five young female Saudi directors, has emerged as the big winner at the eighth edition of the Saudi Film Festival, which is the country’s oldest film event. “Quareer” consists of five segments depicting women taking risks to carve out their own spaces, and explores themes of abandonment, neglect, control, abuse and shame in Saudi’s now changing conservative society. The film scored five prizes in total at the festival, including the Golden Palm Tree for best film and the prize for best director(s), which collectively went to filmmakers Ragheed Al Nahdi, Norah Almowald, Ruba Khafagy, Fatma Alhazmi and Noor Alameer.Additionally, “Quareer,” which had premiered last December at Saudi’s Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, also scored awards for best cinematography, best script and best score.