Azza

synopsis

Since 2018, women in Saudi Arabia have been legally allowed to drive. For Azza, who refuses to submit to the patriarchal regime, driving represents a welcome moment of independence. The documentary offers insight into everyday life in Saudi Arabia, but above all, it is an empathetic testimony to the difficult fate of a woman who is determined to fight for personal freedom in a country ruled by men. Detailed shots of Azza in the enclosed interior of the car contrast with visually striking images of the vast desert, where Azza finds a sense of harmony with the local landscape. Both environments become a place for painful reflections on the past, but also an opportunity to discover her own identity and an uncertain promise of freedom.

biography

Stefanie Brockhaus (born 1977) is a German independent filmmaker living in Marseille. Her graduation film Jam (2003) won the Lux Award for best experimental film and was screened at MOMA in New York. Azza is her fourth feature-length documentary, following On the Other Side of Life (2010), Some Things Are Hard to Talk About (2017), and The Poetess (2017).

film details

director:	Stefanie Brockhaus
producer:	Hans Robert Eisenhauer
script:	Stefanie Brockhaus
photography:	Anne Misselwitz
editing:	Ulrike Tortora
music:	Amélie Legrand
sound:	Michael Hinreiner