The Venice International Film Festival announced on Thursday that Saudi film “The Perfect Candidate” will compete with 14 international films for the Golden Lion prize, one of the industry’s most prestigious awards.
“The Perfect Candidate,” directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, is the first Saudi film to feature in the competition.
Al-Mansour will be competing with international directors such as Canada’s Atom Egoyan, Sweden’s Roy Andersson and Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda.
The film’s story focuses on a young Saudi female who runs in her local municipal elections.
Al-Mansour previously took part in the Venice Horizons Award in 2012 with the film “Oujda,” where she won three prizes.
The festival is due to take place from Aug. 28 to Sept. 9. SPA Riyadh
