Dunya’s Day, a short comedy movie, just became the first Saudi-directed film to play in a major Saudi Arabia cinema.

The film was shot on location in the Kingdom

Around 200 people watched the premiere of the film on an IMAX screen at the Vox Cinema at Riyadh Park during an invitation-only event.

The film is directed by Raed Alsemari and tells the story of Dunya (played by Sarah Balghonaim) as she struggles to organize an important party after her household staff fail to show up to help. Most involved in the production were also, in fact, volunteers working on a film for the first time.

The movie had an all-Saudi all-female cast

Alsemari said that he was keen to highlight the fact that Saudi women have stories that deserve to be told, and that films need not be driven by male characters.

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“I wanted to tell a story about an Arab woman who was neither a victim nor a saint,” he said. “She’s in a position of power in the narrative.”