In the AlUla-shot Norah, Saudi actress Maria Bahrawi takes the eponymous role of an illiterate orphan from a remote Saudi Arabian village in the 1990s, who faces an arranged marriage and seems to have no chance of pursuing a dream.
Unlike her character in the film, 18-year-old Bahrawi grew up in a modernising Saudi Arabia where, six years ago, the ban on cinemas was lifted — opening doors for young talents like her. The Jeddah-based actress has been passionate about her craft since childhood, and dreamed of walking the red carpet at Cannes. “Five years ago, this was an impossible dream for a Saudi woman,” she reflects, “but the mindset has changed.”
Bahrawi was able to make her dream come true when Norah played in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section this year, making history as the first Saudi film in official selection. It premiered at Red Sea in 2023, where it won the Film AlUla award for best Saudi feature.
Bahrawi has worked with an acting mentor and attended casting calls since the age of 13. “I was looking for a chance, until one day I received a call to meet Tawfik Alzaidi [the director of Norah],” she recalls. “I was invited to AlUla, where everything started.”
Bahrawi may have captured the attention of both regional and international audiences with her performance in Norah, yet she acknowledges her next steps are a big challenge. “I am still young, there’s no need to rush. I’m carefully considering every step to protect the progress I have made.”
With an ambition to launch her own production company, Bahrawi is currently studying finance at UBT-University of Business and Technology in Jeddah. “I aspire to merge cinema with business.”
She is also continuing to hone her acting skills, working with Jeddah-based French actress, director and coach Ophélie Legris. “I was too young to apply for the acting workshops organised by the Saudi Ministry of Culture,” says Bahrawi. “I can now that I have turned 18.”
She has been influenced by the work of veteran Egyptian actress Yousra and Julia Roberts, and her aspiration is to present powerful stories about Saudi women and complex characters. “Saudi cinema is rising now, and reaching international levels. I want to have an acting career like [Roberts’] but with stories from Saudi.”
Contact: Hashim Nagro, Eleven Agency
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