RIYADH – On the evening of February 7, young women from all over the country sat down in front of their televisions to watch a bizarre story unfold. It sheds light on growing up, love, coping and trauma, loss, quirky anime references, old taboos and accepting your reality.
Sarah Taibahs Jamel Jeddan is the first Saudi-produced show that features a woman and is written by a man in a male-dominated industry.
The plot is anything other than typical. Jamel, a strong-headed girl, wakes up after a five-year-long coma. She is forced to finish her senior year at high school and rejoin a society that she has lost contact with. As a coping strategy, Jamel begins to experience glitches as an animated alternative reality.
Taibah is able to capture the complexity of Saudi female life in just six episodes. Jameel Jeddan has been a woman’s story in many ways.
Taibah explained to Arab News that she wanted to create a show about a character who returns home to society after a major incident.
The show aims at highlighting the experience of women in Saudi Arabia. Its success is nuanced by the collective effort that brings those experiences to life. Taibah stated that she is proud that more then 80 percent of the cast is females and almost half the crew are women. This is a rare feat.
HIGHLIGHTS
Jamel, a strong-headed girl, wakes from a five year coma. She must finish her last year at high school and rejoin the society she has stopped relating to. As a coping strategy, Jamel begins to experience glitches as an animated alternative reality.
Sarah Taibah captures the complexity of Saudi female life in six episodes, which is far from realistic. Jameel Jaddan has been a woman’s story in many ways.
I am very fortunate to have a forward-thinking Director who made sure all his AD department would be women. He doesn’t want women to be directed in an untrue or to be misrepresented, she said.
Anas BaTahaf and Taibah, the show’s director/editor, have worked together on many projects in the past including the anthology program No. 2 and BaTahafs feature-film Fayes Pallet.
Jameel Jaddan is by all accounts one of the most unconventional portrayals of a woman in Saudi television. Western media often portray women from the region as submissive and controlled. However, Jamel Jeddan, the main character, is a strong, independent, and free-spirited representation of the dominant individuality of Saudi women.
It’s fresh. I support women having a voice and space. This is something that I will continue to be. BaTahaf said to Arab News that she believes this industry has been dominated so long by men and it is time for female voices.
I am beyond proud of the fact that more than 80 per cent of the cast is female and nearly 50 percent of crew are female, which is an amazing feat.
Sarah Taibah
Jawaher Al-Amri, a female consulting director, was the director’s choice to represent authentically Saudi women’s experiences.
I tried to understand my society and the conversations I have, but it was not enough when I was actually making a decision that will affect how you direct a character. He said that I care about diversity and representation.
The show is also a pioneer in this industry, as it was the first Saudi-produced TV series set in a high school for girls. The school was beautiful. They were so real, especially for Saudi Arabian students. Personally, Salwa, Jameels friend was so relatable to me, which made it so much easier to love and relate to the show, said Doa Al-Saadi a viewer whose fan art was featured in the shows Instagram page.
Although the series is targeted at teens and young adults, it has been well-received regardless. It reached the Top 10 Most Viewed in Saudi Arabia on Shahid’s host platform.
It was amazing to see how many men enjoyed the show. They say that women watch action movies but men don’t watch chick flicks. But if it’s well-produced, they’ll enjoy it. Taibah said that if it’s good, it’s good.
Abdulaziz Ahmad was an avid viewer and shared his enthusiasm for the show’s mature approach to delicate issues.
It doesn’t blame anyone, but Jameel’s frustration with the society is what it focuses on. It examines the complexity of the situation and the way that the protagonist’s emotions, beliefs and desires are interconnected, he explained to Arab News.
This is what I think made the show a success. Jameel Jeddan is not the only cinematic work that addresses these issues in a blatant and tacky way. Al-Saadi said that as a viewer, it can make it dull.
The show is a live documentation of Jeddah. Al-Baik in Al-Rawdah has been closed down since the show’s production.
Al Baik is, as any Saudi will tell you, the best comfort food in Saudi culture.
Taibah said that Al Baik in Al Rawdah has been there since I was a kid.
The show takes viewers on a tour through the city, giving them an authentic view of Jeddah. BaTahaf, Taibah, and BaTahaf decided to focus less tourist attractions, such as Albalad. They emphasized the more common sights among locals, such as the old corniche.
Ahmad said, “I loved the way it was a love note to Jeddah. A beautiful city that is often not portrayed as such.”
