Saudi short ‘Assutur’ is ‘reshaping conversations’ around challenging topics

A still from the 16-minute film. (Supplied)Short Urlhttps://arab. news/rw8qy Filmmakers Sara Masry and Rulan Hasan’s film earned a Jury Special Mention at the Saudi Film Festival Updated Jasmine Bager September 24, 2026 Follow DHAHRAN: It was Ramadan 2025 when two seasoned Saudi storytellers from Jeddah — Sara Masry and Rulan Hasan — met for the first time. Masry, an actress and budding filmmaker, and Hasan, an established writer and director, connected instantly; bonding over shared traumas and exchanging ideas for potential collaborations for hours. “It started as talking with a stranger, or someone who I didn’t really know before, and it ended like I was talking to myself,” Hasan tells Arab News. a long night sipping coffee, they had decided to make a film together. The result is “Assutur,” a 16-minute short that the pair co-wrote and co-directed that feels like it could be ripped from the headlines from anywhere in the world, yet is specific enough to be a relatable Saudi story. Rulan Hasan. (Supplied)Both women were present at the SFF and could be seen interacting with the audience after their screenings, exchanging emotional reflections with women and men. “The SFF is such a huge platform for people to come and watch films, and it’s one way, as a filmmaker, you can reshape the conversations that are happening in Saudi society, because a lot of the audience members are Saudi,” Masry says. “So many people came up to us. Actually, along every step of the process of making the film — the people involved, people who auditioned, makeup artists… many women came up to me. If you make an audience think and feel, it usually will take a little bit of a delay. And then they clapped and it felt really good, but the thing that I am most grateful for is the conversations that we had with people. And you did it with a team that collaborated with you. You’re changing the narrative — literally.’” Follow