Television

Middle Eastern Netflix Drama “AlRawabi School for Girls” On the Way, Features All-Female Cast & Crew

Co-creator and director Tina Shomali: IMDb

If “Derry Girls” left you craving more international, women-created young adult series set in all-girls schools, you’re in luck. Netflix’s newest project is “AlRawabi School for Girls,” a Middle Eastern high school drama. The show’s cast and crew is made up entirely of Arab women, a press release revealed.

Created by Tina Shomali and Shirin Kamal, “AlRawabi School for Girls” is the story of a bullied teen who decides to take revenge on her tormentors, “only to find out that no one is all bad, and no one is all good, including herself.” Shomali directed the series and wrote it with Kamal. Filmizion Productions, which Shomali founded in 2012, is producing.

This will mark Netflix’s second Middle Eastern series after “Jinn,” an Arabic-language supernatural drama featuring Jordanian actors.

“We are extremely proud to partner with Tima again to produce what 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,” said Simran Sethi, Director of International Originals at Netflix. “The 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.”

“‘AlRawabi School for Girls’ is a very dear project to my heart. It depicts the stories and struggles of young Arab women in a light that we hadn’t yet seen before in the region, particularly with this age group,” explained Shomali. “It’s 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.”

“The Middle East has a multitude of stories and layers that other parts of the world may have not encountered, and I hope that ‘AlRawabi School for Girls’ not only resonates with women in the Middle East, but women from all over the world,” Kamal agreed.

Shomali created “FemaleShow,” a comedy about a young Jordanian couple navigating marriage and parenthood. The show — on which Shomali stars and serves as writer, director, and producer — has run for three seasons so far. She previously participated in Netflix’s “She Rules” campaign, which saw 30 women creators and social media influencers calling for women’s voices on both sides of the camera.

Kamal also wrote for “FemaleShow.” She penned the 2015 series “Madam President,” a drama about the first woman prez of the fictional Middle Eastern nation of Jabalein, and is a senior writer at Filmizion.


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