S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Netflix announced this weekend the production of its second Arab original series. \u201cAl Rawabi School for Girls\u201d will be a high school drama set in Jordan. The team and the cast will be made up entirely by Arab women, and the series was created by Tima Shomali (writer and director) and Shirin Kamal (writer) from Jordan. In the picture above, Kamal is on the left, and Shomali on the right.<\/p>\n
\u201cAl Rawabi School for Girls\u201d is the story of how a tormented girl gets revenge on her bullies, only to find out that no one is entirely bad, and no one is entirely good, not even herself.<\/p>\n
\u201c[It] is essentially the first Middle Eastern young adult series that celebrates the role of women, not only on screen, but behind the scenes as well,\u201d expressed Netflix director of international originals Simran Sethi in a press release. \u201cThe story brings a fresh perspective to Middle Eastern content, and we are absolutely excited to share Al Rawabi School for Girls with our global audiences in over 190 countries,\u201d he said;<\/p>\n
The second Netflix original in the region is seen as a pledge to invest in the Middle East and explore more great stories and talent, along with offering Middle Eastern filmmakers and audiences a global platform to share and hear different stories outside the mainstream.<\/p>\n
For the series creator Tima Shomali, this is a very dear project. \u201cIt depicts the stories and struggles of young Arab women in a light that we hadn\u2019t yet seen before in the region, particularly with this age group. It\u2019s a show that stems from the eyes of women about women and I am really pleased to collaborate with Netflix and have the opportunity to tell the stories of young women in our region on such a global platform,\u201d she said in the release.<\/p>\n
The writer Shirin Kamal added that the Middle East has a multitude of stories and layers that other parts of the world may have not encountered. \u201cI hope that \u2018Al Rawabi School for Girls\u2019 not only resonates with women in the Middle East, but women from all over the world,\u201d she wished.<\/p>\n
Tima Shomali was also part of Netflix\u2019s 2017 campaign \u201cShe Rules\u201d during Ramadan together with 30 other female content creators and social media influencers aimed to celebrate female protagonism inside and outside the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAl Rawabi School for Girls\u201d will be an association between Netflix with the Jordanian production company Filmizion and will be launched later this year. The first Netflix Arab original is \u201cJinn,\u201d which was also produced and filmed in Jordan and will be launched later this year.<\/p>\n
Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n