As I walk down the French Riviera during the Cannes Film Festival, it’s like a league of nations, with pavilions from countries around the world lining the seafront. There is always something exciting brewing here, not least at the Saudi pavilion, where seven talented women have arrived as guests of the Red Sea Film Foundation.
The Mena-focused festival is celebrating women in cinema, choosing those who are helping shape a new generation of talent in the Arab world, Africa and Asia.
Among this stylish septet is Saudi actress and presenter Elham Ali, looking resplendent in a white trouser suit and silver jewellery.
“I’m here, first of all, to support Saudi women in cinema,” she tells The National amid a hectic afternoon of press meetings. One of the most prominent figures in Gulf and Saudi television, theatre and cinema – and co-presenter of Love is Blind Habibi alongside her husband Khaled Saqer – Ali has never been to Cannes before. But she sees it as more than just a chance to schmooze with A-listers.
For Ali, who has been acting for more than a decade, coming to prominence in shows such as Rihana and The Way of Female Teachers, it’s all about waving the Saudi flag, as the country’s film industry continues to grow. Her mission, she says, is to help “reiterate the importance of our culture and to convey the image of our culture to the world. I believe that, as Saudis, we are ready to be more present in the international arena and to be the storytellers of the Saudi story.”
Ali is not the only Saudi talent the Red Sea International Film Festival has commandeered for its Women In Cinema initiative. She’s joined by Sarah Taibah, the artist and filmmaker behind the acclaimed dark comedy series Jameel Jeddan. Others include Egyptian actress Amina Khalil, Syrian filmmaker Gaya Jiji and acclaimed Zambian-Welsh director Rungano Nyoni, whose work I Am Not A Witch and On Becoming a Guinea Fowl screened at Cannes.
Last year, Norah became the first Saudi film officially selected for Cannes, while the Saudi-backed Red Sea Fund continues to invest in films that have made their way to the festival (including this year’s Un Certain Regard entry Promised Sky).
Ali suggests it's all a learning curve for the Saudi film industry. “We need competition. Competition is useful, and we have been taking the first steps, good and healthy steps, because we need to learn and know more about the industry in general.”
Does she feel there is increasing support for Saudi actresses in cinema? “There is strong support given to the Saudi woman. Hence my presence here,” she says. “And the support is not just for women in cinema, it’s for women at large.”
The international stage could be the next logical step. Ali has already worked in an English language film, the Saudi horror The Cello (2023), alongside Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons and Tobin Bell, the star of the Saw franchise.
She's always been a horror film fan, “especially Dracula”, she says with a grin.
As such, she is open to other English-speaking roles. “If I feel the role is suitable for me and I am suitable for the role, definitely I will do it because I’m open to any learning experience.”
Given The Cello was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, the filmmaker behind multiple entries in the Saw series, I suggest that Ali may have an emerging career as a Saudi scream queen.
“I wish!” she says, her eyes lighting up. However, you’re more likely to find her tapping away at a keyboard. “I have a new passion, which is writing. Reading scripts gives me ideas.”
So will we see her credited as a screenwriter in the future? “I would love to try,” she smiles.
