The Perfect Candidate

From the acclaimed director of Wadjda

Maryam is an ambitious young doctor working in a small-town clinic in Saudi Arabia. Despite her qualifications, she has to earn the respect of male colleagues every day. When Maryam is prevented from traveling in search of a better job she decides to run for her local city elections, enlisting her two younger sisters to begin fundraising and planning campaign events. While facing the restriction of women’s traditional roles at every turn, her audacious candidacy starts to build momentum and challenges her conservative community.

Wadjda was not only the first Saudi Arabian feature film directed by a woman, it was the first feature film directed there by anyone. Haifaa Al Mansour, who completed a Master’s degree in Directing and Film Studies from the University of Sydney, returns to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for her latest film – THE PERFECT CANDIDATE. A tale of one woman’s quest to challenge not only the system but also herself.