Cinema Akil opens Ramadan with ‘The Poetess’

A documentary about Hissa Hilal, the Saudi woman who became a finalist in the male-dominated Million’s Poet show in Abu Dhabi, will open Cinema Akil’s Ramadan programming on May 5.

Directed by Stefanie Brockhaus and Andreas Wolff, ‘The Poetess’ follows Hissa’s rise to stardom from a self-taught writer and a participant in the million dollar TV show while covered from head to toe. Hilal is not allowed to drive, doesn’t own a passport and requires her husband’s consent for any activity, yet her poems criticise the patriarchal Arab society and takes on clerics for their extremist views.

Tickets are priced at Dh52.50. The full list of programming is available on cinemaakil.com.