Pakistan, Oct. 16 -- Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen's road movie "Hijra", which explores the bond between different generations of Saudi women on a journey across the desert, has been chosen as Saudi Arabia's entry for the Oscar in the international feature film category.

"Hijra" marks Ameen's second feature, following her first film, the feminist fable, "Scales", which served as Saudi Arabia's Oscar candidate in 2020. The film was shot across various locations, including the vast desert and cities like Jeddah, Madinah, AlUla and Neom and premiered to positive reviews in September as part of the Venice Film Festival's Spotlight section.

The story follows 12-year-old Janna, who embarks on a journey to Mecca for Hajj with her strict grandmo...