[custom_adv] Saudi Arabia's Haifaa al-Mansour cried as she spoke about the barriers to women's success around the world Thursday in Venice, where she is one of only two female directors in contention for the festival's top prize. [custom_adv] Mansour's film "The Perfect Candidate" tells the story of a young Saudi doctor who decides to run in local elections in her city despite formidable resistance. The movie dwells on the challenges and new opportunities in the conservative kingdom. [custom_adv] The director, who had to direct parts of her acclaimed 2012 film "Wadjda" while concealed in the back of a van, said Saudi Arabia was now "more open", but women were "shy" to grasp new freedoms and opportunities, such as driving and voting. [custom_adv] Mansour said that while she wanted to see more films directed by women, a boost was also needed to help them at the earlier stages of finding scripts and financing. [custom_adv] The first woman to shoot a film in her country, Mansour has lived and worked extensively outside of Saudi Arabia, particularly in the US. She said she felt women all over the world were facing a "similar resistance".
