“Hijra”, interview with director Shahad Ameen

August 28, 2025

Director Shahad Ameen discusses “Hijra”, screening at Venezia Spotlight section at 82th Venice Film Festival

“Hijra”, interview with director Shahad Ameen Manuela Santacatterina

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At the 82nd Venice Film Festival FRED Film Radio interviewed director Shahad Ameen to talk about “Hijra”, screening at Venezia Spotlight section.

Telling a story from a different perspective

For Shahad Ameen, “Hijra” is a very personal film that reflects her personal story through themes of female freedom and identity. “For me, every film I make has to be personal. Otherwise, let’s all do the same film”, explains the director. “For me, the most exciting part about filmmaking is trying to find your voice. And maybe you will fail with the audiences, but that’s the most exciting part is finding new ways to tell a story. And with Hijra, I wanted to say something about my culture and my society that I feel is unknown in international cinema. I wanted to present Saudi Arabia in a different light. I wanted to explore the ideas, the meaning of freedom from the perspective of different generations of women. Because right now, I feel in this world, we’re all trying to view things in the same way. Is that fun? I don’t think so. I think what’s fun is for us to all have different perspectives and different ways of looking at the world. In Hijra, I try to explore all these themes while maintaining my weirdness in making films”.

A film about accepting every generation of women

In “Hijra” Sarah’s journey of discovery uncovers many of her family’s secrets. How, in the director’s opinion, does this difference between her generation and her grandmother’s reflect the diversity of women in Saudi Arabia today? “Throughout my years working as an Arab filmmaker and being a female filmmaker, I got a lot of attention, a lot of applause, and a lot of amazing things came my way, and I’m very thankful. With that came also the assumption that I must be very strong and very independent. I hope I am, and I love that. But with it came assumptions that I didn’t like”, explains Shahad Ameen. “The assumption that maybe my mother’s generations, or my grandmother’s generation, or other generation of Arab women, were not free, not independent or not strong. I think, in every culture, we are only focused on the modern world. But there came other generations of women that we stand on their shoulder and they are much more resilient and stronger than we are. This film is about accepting all generations of women in whichever way they choose to be themselves, authentic, independent”.

Plot

Twelve-year-old Janna sets off for Mecca with her strict grandmother, Sitti, and rebellious sister, Sarah, to perform Hajj. But before they reach their destination, Sarah vanishes — forcing Janna and Sitti into a tense, urgent search. Fearing Sarah’s father will find out, Sitti and Janna push themselves to the limit, desperate to uncover why Sarah disappeared. Their journey spans from southern Saudi Arabia to its northern borders, crossing old pilgrimage routes and confronting strangers, harsh landscapes, and long-buried family secrets. As they grow closer, Janna begins to unravel stories from Sitti’s rich and complex past. The search reveals deep intergenerational rifts among the women in their family. And as their difficult journey begins to echo the spiritual trials of Hajj, Janna and Sitti may find something greater than reconciliation — redemption.

Written by: Manuela Santacatterina

Venezia Spotlight