Saudi actress hopes she can drive a car at home

Saudi actress and director Remas has expressed her hope she can drive a car in her conservative country “very soon”, saying the issue of women driving cars has already gone a long way and is being seriously studied.

When asked about the future of Saudi cinema, Remas said the only way it could advance is for the Kingdom to allow theaters to be built.

"It is not only a matter of scripts and actors, it is a huge industry that needs to be studied," she told the London-based magazine Laha (For Her).

Remas talked to the magazine, which dubbed her the youngest Saudi actress and director, about her opinion on the first Saudi film Keif Al-Hal (What's Up?).

"I applaud every attempt in order to reach our goals in the future," she said. "Keif Al-Hal was preceded with a huge propaganda that did not match the film's quality. We expected a big leap in Saudi cinema and culture, but we were disappointed after the movie was shown."

Remas believes her beautiful looks might have helped usher her into show business, but said that alone was not enough to maintain a good career: "It was my talent that helped me start and got me roles."

For the Saudi artist, lots of actors from the Gulf are among the best in the Arab world and deserve respect for laying the foundations for Gulf drama and presenting it to the Arab world.

"I personally like the acting of Hayat Al-Fahd and Souad Ali and from the men Abdul-Hussein Abdul-Reda."

Remas asserted that she met no objections from her family when she decided to become an actress: "I am the spoilt girl in the family, and everyone wants to make me happy. Besides, my family understands the importance of the media and the noble purpose it strives to achieve."

Remas also talked about her criteria for choosing her roles: "There has to be a good dramatic line, and the character has to be influential. I believe that not every role suits my character, so I have to read the script carefully and study the role from all dimensions."


(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid).