Her feature debut , '' Wadjda '' , which she wrote as well as directed , made its world premiere at the 2012 Venice Film Festival ; it is the first full-length feature to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and as of 2013 , the only feature-length film made in Saudi Arabia by a female director . '' Wadjda '' tells the story of a 10-year-old girl growing up in the suburbs of Riyadh , who dreams of owning and riding a green bicycle . The film was backed by Rotana , the film production company of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal . '' Wadjda '' was selected as the Saudi Arabian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards , which is the first time Saudi Arabia has submitted a film for the Best Foreign Language Oscar . The project had been developed in 2009 during the Gulf screenwriting lab , a collaboration between TorinoFilmLab and Dubai International Film Festival
86th Academy Awards
86th Academy Awards
Haifaa al-Mansour