Saudi Runaway

Invited

Muna is confined by many facets of her life, from her physical home, her parents, and her fiancé to the restrictive, all-encompassing laws of her country. In Saudi Arabia women are routinely stripped of their autonomy and owned by the surrounding political and familial male powers. Desperate to flee, and in anticipation of her upcoming arranged marriage, Muna meticulously plans to escape during her honeymoon. In the meantime, she covertly documents her life using cell phones and sends the footage to filmmaker Susanne Regina Meures, whom she met in a chat room. Muna is an expert at fooling family and friends, and through a brilliantly edited succession of footage, a robust and moving depiction of her homelife is formed. Private musings into the camera show a woman torn between remaining to protect her mother and younger brother and committing to her daring plan to leave. Despite a life fraught with abuse, oppression, and fear, Muna funnels strength into steadfast bravery to record and share her experience with the outside world.  KR

Director

Susanne Regina Meures

Producer

Christian Frei

Executive Producers

Matthias Erny, Philip Delaquis, Carolyn Bernstein, Ryan Harrington, Stefan Kloos, Jason Ishikawa

Co-Producer

Susanne Regina Meures

Editor

Christian Frei

Cinematographer

Muna

Release Year

2020

Festival Year

2020

Country

Switzerland

Run Time

88 minutes

Subtitled

Yes