Netflix just announced its second original Arabic series titled AlRawabi School for Girls, promising an all-female cast and crew. This follows last year's announcement of their first-ever Arabic series, Jinn, an upcoming supernatural drama.
The show is written and directed by Jordanian producer and actress Tima Shomali in collaboration with writer Shirin Kamal, and is expected to premiere later this year. Netflix is also partnering with Jordanian production company Filmizion - founded by Shomali in 2012 - in creating this show.
AlRawabi School for Girls revolves around a bullied girl executing a plan to take revenge on her bullies, "only to find out that no one is all bad, and no one is all good, including herself."
"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," Simran Sethi, Director of International Originals at Netflix, commented on the importance of an all-female cast and crew.
With Netflix's second-ever original Arabic series announced, the Middle East and its many talents are getting the chance to be explored and showcased to the world.
"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," Shomali commented on the production of the series.
"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," she added.
As for Kamal, she expressed her excitement to relay the region's "multitude of stories and layers that other parts of the world may have not encountered." She also hopes the new series will "not only resonates with women in the Middle East, but women from all over the world."
The first Netflix Arabic series, Jinn, was announced last year
In February 2018, Netflix dropped a major announcement when it revealed its first Arabic series was on the way.
Jinn is coming to the online streaming platform this summer. The supernatural thriller drama follows a group of teenagers whose "lives are disrupted when a Jinn in the form of a teenage boy appears to them in the ancient city of Petra."
The five-episode series features Middle Eastern talent and is executively produced by Elan and Rajeev Dassani (SEAM). It's directed by Lebanese filmmaker Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, who's well known for his 2015 hit feature Very Big Shot.
At the time of the series' announcement, Bou Chaaya expressed his excitement at heading the project, saying:
"This is a great opportunity to portray Arab youth in a very unique way. The level of authenticity Netflix is trying to achieve with this show is definitely what attracted me the most to be part of this project."
The announcement of Jinn marked Netflix's second work in the region, after Adel Karam: Live from Beirut stand-up comedy show, but its first original series.
And now, another is on the way!