PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Haifaa Al-Mansour, director of the film The Wedding Singer’s Daughter.

To listen to the interview, click on the ► icon on the right, just above the picture

Filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour directed The Wedding Singer’s Daughter, one of the two Miu Miu Women’s Tales short films presented at the 75th Venice International Film Festival and featured in the program of the Giornate degli Autori strand. The director tells us about her choice for the subject of the film, the perception of the role of an artist in her native country of Saudi Arabia, and in honor of Miu Miu’s series, to mention and highlight the work of a woman in film that she particularly admires.

The Wedding Singer’s Daughter: It’s nighttime in 1980s Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Glittery and glamorous heels climb out of cars. Women shrouded in traditional black abayas make their way into a wedding hall. There, they reveal what’s underneath: dazzling dresses and wild hair. Their true selves set free, unseen by male gaze. There are strict segregation rules in Saudi weddings. All eyes and ears are on the wedding singer; until the electricity cuts out suddenly. “This is the worst wedding singer ever,” guests mutter, condescendingly. Will the young daughter manage to save her mother’s dignity?