\n
\nDUBAI: Saudi actress Fatima Al-Banawi has made a career out of playing strong female characters. But that may not mean what you think. From her breakthrough role in 2016\u2019s \u201cBarakah Meets Barakah\u201d to her latest Saudi thriller \u201cRoute 10,\u201d the groundbreaking performer isn\u2019t turning every part into Wonder Woman \u2014 instead, character by character, Al-Banawi is on a mission to show the world that Saudi women are complex, and that true strength is born from that complexity.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cSometimes we think that portraying women as perfect makes them strong. To me it makes them flat,\u201d Al-Banawi tells Arab News. \u201cWomen have different layers, and different sides. Women, like men, are imperfect. That\u2019s what makes us human. I want to give my female characters layers of imperfection \u2014 sometimes na\u00efve, sometimes selfish, sometimes arrogant \u2014 just like the best male characters. Otherwise, they\u2019ll be soulless.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nInitially, \u201cRoute 10,\u201d directed by Omar Naim (\u201cThe Final Cut,\u201d \u201cBecoming\u201d) seems to be a basic genre film \u2014 all thrills, no depth. Al-Banawi plays Maryam, a woman traveling by road with her brother from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi to attend their father\u2019s wedding \u2014 a trip that turns a lot more dangerous when a stranger starts hunting them, apparently set on killing them, turning a routine road trip into a race for their lives.<\/p>\n
\nLooks, Al-Banawi argues, can be deceiving.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI realized a long time ago that you can package things that are deep and meaningful and that hit a real emotional cord within different genres. I started my career with a rom-com, \u2018Barakah Meets Barakah,\u2019 that achieved that, and now, with \u2018Route 10,\u2019 I can do that with a thriller,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m always trying to shuffle things, to repackage things. I say to myself, \u2018I did this, so now I need to do this.\u2019 I played a superstar on stage who wants the spotlight on her, so after that I wanted to play a na\u00efve little girl. I want to tap into different elements of people \u2014 of women \u2014 that I can play and thus highlight on the silver screen,\u201d Al-Banawi continues.<\/p>\n
\nSix years removed from her breakout performance in Mahmoud Sabbagh\u2019s \u201cBarakah Meets Barakah,\u201d which was only the second Saudi film to ever be submitted for Academy Awards consideration, Al-Banawi has honed her skills impressively, pushing herself as an actor and a person to make each role something both distinct and fully formed, a representation of who she is while also being something totally removed from herself.<\/p>\n
\nFor \u201cRoute 10,\u201d she went as deeply into the character as possible, laser-focused on the fact that Maryam is a Saudi female doctor, and making choices in the moment that were unscripted to highlight the many facets of her being. At times, she embraced the principles of method acting, and just as the actor Marlon Brando famously would add certain physical flourishes to his scenes because he instinctually felt they would fit the character, Al-Banawi did too.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn one major sequence, my character approaches the body of a policeman, and I insisted I feel the (pulse) of that policeman. There was resistance on set, people said a Saudi woman would not do that. I said: \u2018No, I\u2019m playing a doctor.\u2019 I wanted to relate to all the female doctors both in Saudi Arabia and outside of Saudi Arabia, and those doctors have instincts. Doctors try to save who is in front of them, and if someone is injured, they act without thinking. As an actor, I do so much research that, when the time comes, I have to act without thinking. I had to become in tune with how doctors deal with every situation, and that was what fueled every aspect of my performance,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
\nMaryam may be a doctor with the strength to take charge in a life or death situation, but Al-Banawi stresses that the character has her flaws, too.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShe lives alone. She\u2019s independent. But she longs for family,\u201d she says. \u201cShe lost her mother a year ago. She\u2019s grieving, but she never resolved her issues with all of these things. That fuels her actions in unpredictable ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAl-Banawi didn\u2019t always dream of becoming an actor. She studied psychology at Effat University in Jeddah before traveling to Harvard University for her post-graduate degree in theological studies. She focused on women, gender and Islamic studies, diving into religious texts and related materials and becoming fascinated in how important storytelling was throughout history.<\/p>\n
\nShe started tracing those lines to the present day, contemplating how the storytelling of ancient times aligns with the storytelling of the contemporary world \u2014 a passion that drove her, after graduating, to theater; becoming a storyteller herself. It was, she says, never her plan to become a movie star. When a script for what could become an Academy Award submission comes across your desk, however, plans change.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know this was going to come my way. Maybe I was manifesting it. I didn\u2019t see cinema as my future. Honestly, I\u2019m really surprised with where I am today. Throughout all this change, I\u2019m still trying to figure out my path,\u201d says Al-Banawi. \u201cI want to lead, but usually a leader has experience \u2014 usually a leader knows where to go. I\u2019m leading as I\u2019m experiencing. I don\u2019t know the route, but I do have a strong impulse to be true to myself, to not compromise, and to be clear-minded at all times. Those principles are my guide forward, and I\u2019m happily surprised with where they\u2019ve gotten me,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
\nAs the film industry in Saudi Arabia, and the wider Arab world as a whole, continues its rapid development, with a diverse array of voices showing they have unique stories to tell, Al-Banawi is taking care not to rush her own development to try to match the pace of others, selecting projects that suit what\u2019s best for her own journey.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThings are changing fast, but I don\u2019t need to be as fast as change. I need to be as fast as I need to be to grow,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not about taking on as many roles as I can, it\u2019s about diversifying, putting together a skill set and mastering it. Then, I can allow that to be contagious, in a way; to spread it, to share and grow collectively with those around me rather than just individually. I envision bigger things for both myself and us all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nNext, Al-Banawi\u2019s path leads her to writing, directing, and co-producing her first feature film, \u201cBasma,\u201d which she\u2019s aiming to release by the end of 2023. While taking on a feature herself is a daunting task, one that fills her with a range of emotions, she knows exactly how she\u2019s going to do it: By allowing herself the same complexity as a person and an artist that she allows her characters.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m a vulnerable and fragile person right now. It\u2019s my first feature. As an actor, I\u2019ve read so many scripts. I think, \u2018Who am I to write my own?\u2019 But now I\u2019m just allowing myself to be vulnerable, taking this as a form of strength. Everything I\u2019ve learned on set has led to this moment, has fueled who I will become as a writer and a director, and as a leader. I\u2019m putting together a team of extraordinary people, and it will be amazing to watch them shine,\u201d says Al-Banawi.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI can\u2019t talk about my own contributions too much,\u201d she adds with a smile. \u201cLet\u2019s wait and see what I bring to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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