At the Movies — How Saudis feel of their nascent film industry: Going to the movies may not seem like much for the rest of the world, but in Saudi Arabia, it is revolutionary, Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour writes for the New York Times. With no movie theatres in the country, Al Mansour grew up watching Bollywood and Disney films smuggled by male workers from local video stores, where no women allowed. “To experience a phenomenon like this in public, with friends and family, to laugh and cringe along with strangers, is a privilege,” says Al Mansour — the director of Wadjda (2012), the kingdom’s first ever submission for Oscar consideration.

The young director is now opening her own business this year: Haifaa Al Mansour Productions, a milestone for women in Saudi Arabia. The first film she plans to produce is “a tale that applauds women’s ambitions in politics, celebrates our lost arts and the return of music to our small towns.”