Saudi filmmakers highlight vital mental health issues on-screen

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Updated 22 September 2022
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Saudi filmmakers highlight vital mental health issues on-screen

  • ‘Jameel Jeddan’ and ‘Lithium’ shatter taboos with laughs, empathy
  • 1 in 3 adults in Kingdom diagnosed with a disorder in their lifetime

RIYADH: Mental health is still often considered a taboo subject in the region and across the world, with explanations ranging from the superstitious to the criminal, but it is now being highlighted and normalized by Saudi filmmakers with their movies and television shows.

In her most recent work, Saudi writer, director, and actress Sarah Taibah packs a collection of laughs, empathy, and thought-provoking elements into the TV series “Jameel Jeddan.” The show is a coming-of-age story that takes viewers on a journey of love, trauma, and loss, to ultimately accepting reality, alongside quirky anime references and challenging of stigmas.

Taibah plays the main character, Jameel, who wakes up from a five-year coma and is forced to finish her last year at high school, rejoining a society with which she no longer identifies. As a coping mechanism, she begins to form an animated alternative reality.

“I think mental health is a very private experience that one battles with on a daily basis, secretly, without necessarily sharing it,” Taibah told Arab News.

She believes it’s important for films and shows to feature protagonists struggling with mental health issues — “something very relatable yet misunderstood in society.”

What Taibah and fellow filmmaker and director of the show, Anas BaTahaf, do is present the story — and mental health issues — in a palatable way for mass audiences. Saudi viewers often respond well to comedy or action, perhaps explaining why Saudi cinema often lacks sensitive stories.

In Saudi, about one in three adults have experienced a diagnosable mental disorder during their lifetime, according to the Saudi National Health & Stress Survey. Awareness is often the first step in both helping people understand they need help, and in offering help to those who need it.

According to a recent study by the British Board of Film Classification of young people between the ages of 13 and 18, 78 percent believe that film and TV play an integral role in spreading awareness about mental health issues. In addition, 68 percent said that positive portrayals in entertainment media can help destigmatize these issues.

Another example is that of the upcoming Saudi feature film “Lithium,” which centers around individuals living with bipolar disorder, suffering silently in society. The film aims to present the condition in a positive and honest manner.

The film won support at the Red Sea Fund last month, which aims to provide a more diverse set of movies to global audiences and better serve both Saudi and Arab filmmakers.

“Mental health is still considered a taboo (subject) around the world. These misconceptions should be fixed as some movies tend to show mentally ill people as violent or dangerous to society. More awareness should be maximized around mass media channels and especially among social media influencers,” Talha B., the film’s co-director, told Arab News.

Whether mental health disorders are the main plot driver or incorporated into minor plotlines, they can aid in understanding the psychology and nature of these conditions, creating a community driven by compassion and empathy, he said.

“Everyone suffering from mental illness deserves a chance to be an active member of our society. We believe stories can help break down difficult subject matters like the importance of mental health. Telling stories like ours can help the medicine go down, so to speak,” he added.

Globally, several movies and shows depict mental health issues with recent work including “The Queen’s Gambit,” “BoJack Horseman,” and “Atypical.” However, such work is a rarity in the region.

Still, many Saudi creators acknowledge the need to spotlight mental health on-screen in order to create a greater impact through cultural scenarios that resonate with the Saudi public.

“Nowadays, there is a great need for screening short movies that discuss mental health issues. People need to watch these kinds of movies to understand that all mental issues start within. If the target audience were educated enough about the subject, then they can deal with the problem,” Dr. Mohamed Sobaih, co-director of the stop-motion animation “The Bottle,” told Arab News.

The short animation, initially produced by cinematic arts students at Effat University, examines the life of a man living in a constant loop of his deepest fears, haunted by his worst anxieties.

“The film started out as a final project for a course taught for Cinematic Arts students in Effat University. Us, the batch who made this film, wanted to make something really unique when we decided that the story should focus on what it’s like to suffer from mental health diseases,” said co-director Hadeel Moharram.

The short film was later remade based on feedback from viewers and was screened at the Saudi Film Festival in 2021, where it received rave reviews from audiences who acknowledged the need for seeing such narratives on-screen.

“People came to us after the screening expressing their emotions after watching the film — how they saw pieces of themselves in it and their loved ones. It’s a film after all, and films are for people, and what better way to express ourselves and tell stories other than this form of art,” Moharram said.

Haya Al-Hejailan, a Saudi well-being practitioner and psychedelic integration specialist, recently worked on the documentary “The Psychedelic Renaissance,” which follows the global developments in the field of psychedelic science, medicine, and culture since 2018.

The film, now seeking its final stage of funding, platforms top researchers and figures in the field and highlights two of the most popular psychedelic therapy treatments for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance dependence. It aims to destigmatize mental health conversations and educate the masses on alternative treatments.

“It raises awareness through psychoeducation, which empowers people to help themselves and help others. The media is a powerful tool for reaching a wide audience and talking about difficult topics in a manner that is digestible and resonant,” Al-Hejailan told Arab News.

She added: “Media representation reminds people suffering that they are not alone and that their suffering is valid — as valid as physical ailments — and it instills hope in people by showing them that this is a part of the human condition and can be effectively addressed and treated through a number of different avenues.”


Israeli army admits to Gaza strike

Updated 06 June 2025
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Israeli army admits to Gaza strike

  • Admission comes following investigation by BBC Verify

DUBAI: The Israeli military has admitted to the BBC that it conducted a strike on the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which reportedly killed at least one Palestinian and injured 30 others.

The attack took place on Sunday, soon after an incident near a new aid distribution center in Rafah.

BBC’s fact-checking unit, Verify, was analyzing footage of the Rafah incident when it identified a separate strike in nearby Khan Younis.

Initially thought to be linked to the Rafah incident, BBC Verify geolocated the footage to Khan Younis, 4.5 km from the aid distribution site.

The Khan Younis blast had not been announced by the IDF, which regularly publishes operational updates online.

When BBC Verify approached the Israeli military, it admitted it had carried out an artillery strike and said the incident was the result of “technical and operational errors.”

Troops had fired toward a specific target but the artillery deviated and “wrongfully hit the Mawasi area” in Khan Younis, the military said, without providing any evidence to support its claims.

The blast took place in an area where displaced Palestinians had been sheltering. The footage showed bloodied bodies surrounded by dust clouds, BBC said. Women and children could be seen running and screaming as they watched injured people being carried away.

The broadcaster emphasized the rarity of the Israeli military acknowledging errors. BBC Verify’s analysis of its official Telegram account identified four previous instances where it admitted to mistakes or technical and operational errors related to the war in Gaza.


Israeli strike on Gaza hospital kills three journalists

Updated 06 June 2025
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Israeli strike on Gaza hospital kills three journalists

  • Committee to Protect Journalists denounces attack on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital courtyard

LONDON: Three journalists were killed and four others injured in an Israeli strike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital’s courtyard in central Gaza, drawing condemnations from media rights groups.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said the attack struck a media tent and identified the victims as Ismail Badah, a cameraman for Palestine Today TV channel, which is affiliated with the Islamic Jihad militant group; Soliman Hajaj, a Palestine Today editor; and Samir A-Refai of the Shams News network.

The strike injured 30 others, including four journalists. Among them were Imad Daloul, a correspondent for Palestine Today, and Ahmed Qalja, a cameraman for Qatar-based Al-Araby TV, both are reported to be in critical condition.

The syndicate accused Israel of “a full-fledged war crime” that “reflects a deliberate and systematic policy aimed at silencing the Palestinian narrative.” It said that targeting journalists “within the grounds of a hospital constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.”

The Israeli military said in a statement that the strike targeted “an Islamic Jihad terrorist who was operating in a command-and-control center” in the hospital’s yard, without providing details or evidence.

In a statement on Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the attack, calling for international action to stop Israel from targeting journalists “based on unsubstantiated terrorism claims.”

CPJ regional director Sara Qudah said: “These are not isolated incidents, but systematic attacks by Israel on the media. This disturbing and deliberate pattern must end.

“The killing of journalists in a hospital courtyard on the holy day of Yawm Al-Arafah — preceding Eid Al-Adha — underscores the relentless dangers facing the media in Gaza.”


BBC journalists detained at gunpoint in southern Syria

Updated 05 June 2025
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BBC journalists detained at gunpoint in southern Syria

  • BBC sent complaint to Israeli military about the incident

LONDON: Israeli Defense Forces detained, blindfolded, tied up and strip-searched at gunpoint seven members of a BBC Arabic crew as they approached the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a BBC journalist said on Thursday. 

Feras Kilani, a British special correspondent for BBC Arabic, said he was among the team detained for seven hours at a checkpoint near the barrier of Quneitra city, located within the buffer zone between Syria and Israel.

“A minute after we started filming in the area, a white car approached from the other side of the checkpoint. Four Israeli soldiers got out of the car and surrounded us. They pointed their rifles at our heads and ordered us to place the camera on the side of the road,” wrote Kilani in a BBC article.

The crew’s phones and laptops were inspected, with some files deleted, and their vehicle was thoroughly searched as they were led into a room, tied up and blindfolded.

Kilani’s team included two Iraqi BBC staff members and four Syrians, among them three freelancers and a cameraman.

“I pleaded to the officer to release them, and he promised to do so after the interrogations. They were taken one by one to the same room for strip search and questioning.”

Kilani said the team was also threatened before their release in the evening: “The officer threatened us with worse consequences if we approached the frontier from the Syrian side again and said that they know everything about us and would track us down if any hidden or un-deleted photo was ever published.”

In a statement, the BBC said it had filed a complaint with the Israeli military over the incident but had yet to receive a response.

“The BBC strongly objects to the treatment of our staff and freelancers in this way. Despite making clear to the soldiers on multiple occasions they were working for the BBC, the behavior they were subjected to is wholly unacceptable,” the broadcaster said. 


YouTube educator says she is ready to risk career for Gaza’s children

Updated 05 June 2025
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YouTube educator says she is ready to risk career for Gaza’s children

  • Ms Rachel says personal encounters with Palestinian families compel her to act

LONDON: American children’s educator and YouTuber Rachel Griffin Accurso, known globally as Ms Rachel, has said she is willing to jeopardize her career to advocate for Palestinian children suffering under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.

Ms Rachel said she had been targeted by online campaigns and faced calls for government investigation after voicing support for children affected by war in Gaza and elsewhere.

Despite growing criticism from some pro-Israel groups and conservative media, she said she remained defiant in a recent interview with WBUR, a Boston-based public radio station.

She said: “I would risk everything — and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for children. It’s all about the kids for me. I wouldn’t be Ms Rachel if I didn’t deeply care about all kids.”

Her comments came as humanitarian agencies continue to sound the alarm over conditions in Gaza, where more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, and the UN has warned that the enclave faces imminent famine.

The YouTube star said a recent meeting with Palestinian mothers, whose children remain trapped in Gaza, had had a profound effect on her. She said: “When you sit with a mother who’s FaceTiming her boys in Gaza who don’t have food, and you see that anguish, you ask yourself: What more can I do?”

Ms Rachel recently published about her encounter with Rahaf, 3, a double amputee from Gaza who was evacuated for medical treatment in the US by the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

Rahaf’s story, including her wish to return to school and stand while praying, has been shared by Ms Rachel on her social media platforms, alongside the educator’s advocacy for children in Gaza.

Ms Rachel has faced accusations of bias, including a call by a pro-Israel organization urging the US attorney general to investigate her messaging. She acknowledged the pressure, but insisted her mission remains unchanged.

She said: “It’s painful, but I know who I am, and I know how deeply and equally I care for all children.”

A former teacher in New York, Ms Rachel said her work had always been rooted in the principle that all children, regardless of nationality or background, deserved dignity, safety, and access to basic needs.

She added: “That’s the basis of everything for me — children are equal.”


BBC defends Gaza coverage after White House criticism over aid site reporting

Updated 04 June 2025
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BBC defends Gaza coverage after White House criticism over aid site reporting

  • White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the BBC of taking “the word of Hamas with total truth,” claimed the corporation had retracted a story about aid distribution center incident in Rafah on Sunday
  • BBC rejected accusations as “completely wrong,” saying figures were attributed and updated throughout the day based on information from a range of sources

LONDON: The BBC has strongly defended its reporting of a deadly incident near a US-backed aid distribution site in Gaza, rejecting criticism from the White House as “incorrect” and denying claims that it had taken down a story.

The row erupted after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, during a press briefing on Tuesday, accused the BBC of relying on information from Hamas in its initial reporting of a shooting near an aid distribution center in Rafah on Sunday.

Leavitt also claimed the BBC had retracted a story — a claim the broadcaster called “completely wrong.”

“The claim the BBC took down a story after reviewing footage is completely wrong. We did not remove any story and we stand by our journalism,” the BBC said in a statement.

Leavitt’s remarks came in response to questions about reports that Israeli forces had opened fire near the aid site. Holding printed screenshots from the BBC website, she accused the broadcaster of changing casualty figures in multiple headlines and said it had “corrected and taken down” its report.

“The administration is aware of those reports and we are currently looking into the veracity of them because, unfortunately, unlike some in the media, we don’t take the word of Hamas with total truth,” she said.

Leavitt’s remarks came in response to questions about reports that Israeli forces had opened fire near the aid site. AP/File

Leavitt listed a series of changing headlines: “We like to look into it when they speak, unlike the BBC, who had multiple headlines, they wrote, ‘Israeli tank kills 26’, ‘Israeli tank kills 21’, ‘Israeli gunfire kills 31’, ‘Red Cross says, 21 people were killed in an aid incident.’”

“And then, oh, wait, they had to correct and take down their entire story, saying: ‘We reviewed the footage and couldn’t find any evidence of anything,’” she said.

The BBC issued a swift rebuttal, emphasizing that all casualty figures were clearly attributed and updated throughout the day based on information from a range of sources — standard practice in any fast-moving situation, especially during conflict.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 31 people were killed in the gunfire. The International Committee of the Red Cross later confirmed that 21 people had died. Initial reports from local medics cited 15 dead.

The numbers were “always clearly attributed, from the first figure of 15 from medics, through the 31 killed from the Hamas-run health ministry to the final Red Cross statement of ‘at least 21’ at their field hospital,” the BBC statement said.

“Our news stories and headlines about Sunday’s aid distribution center incident were updated throughout the day with the latest fatality figures as they came in from various sources … This is totally normal practice on any fast-moving news story.

“Completely separately, a BBC Verify online report on Monday reported a viral video posted on social media was not linked to the aid distribution center it claimed to show.

“This video did not run on BBC news channels and had not informed our reporting. Conflating these two stories is simply misleading,” it added.

Witnesses, NGOs and local health officials said that civilians had been shot at while waiting for food at the Rafah aid point. The Israeli military denied these claims and said its forces had not fired at civilians. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed private group overseeing aid distribution, dismissed the reports as “outright fabrications.”

On Wednesday, GHF announced a temporary suspension of its operations in Gaza, citing security concerns. The Israeli army warned that roads leading to aid centers were now considered “combat zones.”

The closure follows a string of deadly incidents that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned as “unacceptable” and potentially “war crimes.”

The information war surrounding the conflict — now in its 21st month — has intensified, with both Israel and Hamas battling to control the narrative.

Independent reporting from Gaza remains limited. Israel continues to bar international media, including the BBC, from entering the territory, forcing news organizations to rely on local journalists, social media and unofficial channels.

Many local reporters are working under extreme physical and psychological pressure and are themselves frequent targets of Israeli airstrikes.

The BBC reiterated its call for unimpeded media access and urged the White House to support that demand.

“It’s important that accurate journalism is respected,” said Jonathan Munro, deputy director of BBC News. “And that governments call for free access to Gaza.”