Miss Hissa Hilal

Saudi Arabia, Germany

Producers: Akram Douglas, Andy Wolff

Production Company: Millimeter Productions, Brockhaus/Wolff

Project Logline:

“I love my country,” says Hissa Hilal. “But I am worried that people put their own mental problems, their envy and bitterness, into religious language in order to confuse people.” This personal documentary follows a 43-year-old housewife from Saudi Arabia as she tests her boundaries in the daily struggle for change. Veiled in a burqa, she gained international fame at Abu Dhabi’s prestigious Million’s Poet contest with her poems that are critical of terrorism and the ideologies of fanatic Islamists.

Stefanie Brockhaus was born in Munich. She graduated from London College of Communications, University of the Arts with a BA in film and television in 2002. After some years of professional experience in the film industry and directing short films, she is currently studying at the University of Television and Film in Munich (HFF). Her short films include On the Other Side of Life (2010), The Child Within (2008) and JAM (2002).