‘Unidentified’ Premieres at TIFF 2025

Haifaa Al Mansour discusses her latest feature, Unidentified, with Variety.

HAIFAA > I think it is time in the Middle East that we evolve beyond making films that are primarily political or social. It’s a hot region where so many things are happening. But, when it comes to the art, I think it’s important to also tell stories that are entertaining and fun, while also being very current. In this case, I wanted to depict the intricacies of a culture where sexism and violence against women are rampant and where the assassination of a woman doesn’t really matter. I also wanted to portray women as complex characters, not just one-dimensional ones. But I wanted to make it fun by doing all this within a genre film.

I wanted to show what happens to a woman when she is put in a place of frustration; when she feels that she is not heard and she doesn’t matter and she is just pushed to the side. But we are not always innocent angels. So I also wanted to show Saudi women that can be morally flawed.