Feature Narrative
TOTAL BUDGET
US $700,260
CONTACT
mahazsaati@gmail.com
+966538512880
Asya is an attractive yet opinionated Saudi woman from Makkah, insecure about approaching her forties while still single. To win back her lover, the hopeless romantic flies from Makkah to Florida, only to discover that he is not her prince.
Asya is an attractive yet opinionated woman from Makkah, a dream destination for many Muslims. Her expectations of a romantic relationship are shaped by her conservative society. She is also insecure about approaching her forties while still single, obsessing about her biological eggs expiring before finding the right husband to have children with.
After falling in love with Yazan—a younger, smart, and charismatic comedian—Asya is shaken when he abruptly leaves the country in order to be able to speak his mind freely. Months later, Yazan reconnects with her, feeling homesick and expressing that he missed her. He asks her to spend the summer with him, promising a good time in Disney World. This sparks the fire in Asya’s heart, as her fairy tale of finding her prince is about to come true.
Asya travels to Florida during Hajj (pilgrimage) season, but her summer is far from the romantic escapade she envisioned, as Yazan is unable to cope with the realities of living in America. Asya runs away from the claws of Makkah that no longer feels like home after all the investment she makes towards the supposed land of happiness, Disney World.
After a series of incidents with Yazan and his younger friends, and upon meeting a variety of characters in Florida, Asya returns to Makkah with a new set of realizations.
I am interested in voicing the untold stories of women in the Arab region. Through Hajj to Disney, I aim to explore the relationship dynamics between men and women of different generations, while the laws of segregation between sexes are changing in Saudi Arabia.
In a dramatically evolving social climate, society still warns women of losing their virginity outside of marriage. An early memory of this suspicious attitude towards men was at age 11, when my mom pointed her finger down there, saying that “men only want one thing; your virginity.” My mother was the voice of society’s consciousness. But as I grew older, I often wondered: Would my virginity still be valuable at 40?
A woman’s relationship with her own body and men was not only constructed by society and family. Disney cartoons refined that myth. That is why I place Asya in the midst of these contradicting messages: Disney tells her to wait for the perfect prince, society dictates that she should protect her virginity, and science urges her to act upon her ticking biological clock before her eggs expire. In the midst of it all, Asya projects her fears and dreams onto Yazan; a man who does not believe in marriage.
Through vast, colorful landscape shots, I will emphasize the contrast between the two worlds: Makkah, the capital of spirituality to Muslims, and Disney World, the capital of entertainment. Makkah became a city for generating money under a myth similar to the fantasies of Disney World.
When I first read Hajj to Disney, I knew I needed to produce it. Not because I’ve personally travelled to a foreign land expecting to find a prince waiting for me, but because I believe we have all had a Yazan in our life that manifests itself in one form or another. Now, add a contemporary female protagonist that I can actually identify with? I’m in.
Hajj to Disney is a universal story, as many women have expectations set by society for them and are subject to being let down by these promises. The backdrop of the magical world Maha created, combined with the fresh perspective of a non-American lens, invite us to join Asya, our protagonist, along her adventure.
This story comes at a timely manner in a period when nationalism is on the rise in the U.S. under the Trump administration, with serious repercussions on minorities and socalled foreigners.
My goal is to support Maha with sensitivity that is empowering to her as a woman without losing her or our protagonist’s identity. The opportunity to work with Maha mirrors my experience at The Weinstein Company where I developed emerging filmmakers.
I believe that my previous knowledge will allow me to identify opportunities to optimize the budget, players, and mitigate risk for this film. I know that with the right financials and team, we will execute this film through completion and distribute it successfully.
It's a real privilege to produce this film, and I’m excited to be attached to Hajj to Disney.
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