“It is hard, a lot of people are still skeptical and cling to things they thought were right, and they find it hard to see something so ‘immoral’ coming to their towns. But for me, making films [in Hollywood] doesn’t mean you are not religious. In the Middle East, we’ll always be very religious, we’re [similar to] Italians, but it is important to take religion and make it more personal. So the father in The Perfect Candidate goes to a concert, but that doesn’t mean he’s not religious. He goes and prays, but music is part of his journey.”
-Haifaa Al-Mansour, in an interview with Vogue Australia, discussing why she doesn’t worry how her Hollywood projects would be received in Saudi Arabia. She praised recent reforms in Saudi Arabia as paving the way for Saudi women to reach their potential. [vogue.com.au]
