The Poetess

Documentary about Million’s Poet, an Arabic-language poetry competition show, and the controversy that sparked when the first female finalist stood for a progressive Islam.

"The television show, which attracts over 70 million viewers per episode across the Arab world, is a spoken poetry competition on a flashy The Voice-like stage. A proud burqa-clad Saudi woman, Hissa Hilal started writing poetry at a young age. Her family disapproved, but after marrying (a poet), she had the freedom to develop her craft. Nevertheless, it was no small step for Hilal to take part in Million’s Poet. It wasn’t just that she was a women competing against men, and appearing in public – it was her headline- making words too, in particular her poem critical of fatwas. We get to know this brave and ‘faceless’ poet as she talks about family, Bedouin poetic tradition, and the history of the veil." (Sydney Film Festival)

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