New documentary highlights Saudi women’s success stories

A new documentary is highlighting the success stories of Saudi women, who talk about their empowerment, opportunities, and ambitions under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.  

“Ala Hadden Sawa,” from the Media Ministry, features women from major Saudi cities and rural areas.

In it, they share the details of their journey to empowerment and express their joy at the opportunities they now have. They discuss how they were able to achieve their dreams and ambitions, and how their social life has changed after being granted their rights.

The documentary’s content producer Waad Arif said the women were carefully chosen to represent different sections of society, and reflected how decisions to empower women had changed the lives of many, even down to the simplest things in their daily lives.

She said these changes had made their lives safer, more stable, and helped them achieve their goals and dreams.

Arif told Arab News: “One of the goals of the documentary, produced under the guidance of the Kunooz initiative by the Government Communication Center at the Ministry of Media, is to present unconventional footage that makes you live with the characters and feel their suffering, their sadness, their joy, pride, happiness and, ultimately, be inspired. The heroines spoke with honesty, depth, and transparency to explain the impact of the (Kingdom’s) vision on their lives and how it contributed to enhancing the status of Saudi women.”

Dr. Nada Al-Busaili, who is one of the women featured, said the documentary aimed to highlight the tangible impact of Vision 2030, reforms, and empowerment on the lives of women and their families by presenting the stories of women who had faced different challenges in life and how these reforms had changed their lives.

She added that the women in the documentary were inspiring and that the viewer would be surprised by the strength, patience, and ambition of Saudi women.

“One woman was supporting her seven daughters and son alone. She was the sole breadwinner despite all the challenges she faced, such as the lack of transportation. Post-empowerment, she managed to open her own business. She was really amazing,” she told Arab News. “Viewers will also be taken aback by the ambition of a woman who lives in a rural, rugged area and has never been to the city; they will be in awe of how she managed to turn her home into a tourist destination that people come from everywhere to visit.”

Sarah Al-Malki said she was honored to be part of the documentary.

“It was a beautiful experience with a distinguished team. The documentary showcases the achievements that have been made in the field of empowering women in my country and how they had a great impact in facilitating their lives and their entry into the labor market in various vital sectors. It highlights how women became an active partner in the country’s development.”

She said the documentary was particularly special because it selected women from different Saudi regions. “I believe my contribution conveyed a message that I have always wanted to deliver to women from where I live, from the heights of the mountains at the farthest point on the borders of my dear country. I tell every woman that nothing is impossible when you have will and determination. No matter how great the challenges are, insistence on overcoming them will allow you to do so.

“Today, as the documentary shows, I am working on completing my own project in the field of tourism, specifically rural tourism. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who gave us the opportunity to deliver our message.”

Abdul Rahman Hassan Sandokji, the documentary’s director, told Arab News: “We presented a few examples of thousands of wonderful success stories of Saudi women under the support of wise leadership. We wanted to provide a platform for women to talk about the opportunities they now have. After working on this documentary, I am now convinced that we are heading toward a wonderful and promising future with the support of our wise government and the great efforts made by Saudi women.

“No matter how much we try to document the wonderful stories, we cannot do enough to highlight the true image of Saudi women. No matter how much we search and see stories of success, struggle, patience, striving, and diligence by Saudi women, there will certainly be more stories to be told. Every day we marvel at the great ambitions of Saudi women. Every day we are happier with women’s contribution to the development of this dear country.

“If we are to learn one thing from this documentary, it would be that Saudi women do not have the word ‘impossible’ in their dictionaries. No matter how difficult the circumstances are, they run on determination and their morale remains strong. They will try again and again until they reach their goals. The message behind the documentary is to show all Saudi women that we live under the great empowerment of our wise leadership that strongly supports their ambitions and freedom. We wanted to show women that opportunities are available for them to take advantage of and seek to achieve everything they dream of.

“I am happy to have contributed even a small part to shedding light on this precious category and on this golden era through this documentary. The team was wonderful, harmonious, and passionate. With the support of the Kunooz initiative, headed by Dr. Abdullah Al-Maghlouth and Abdullah Al-Ahmari, we were able to be part of this achievement.”