MTV goes inside the kingdom of Saudi Arabia
MTV’s Emmy Award-winning series “True Life” teams up with Emmy and Academy Award nominated directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (LOKI FILMS) to conclude the season with the premiere of an eye-opening, 90-minute documentary, “True Life Presents: Resist the Power! Saudi Arabia” airing Monday, May 24th at 10pm ET/PT. The special takes viewers into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and the largest producer of oil, where the sexes are separated, marriages are arranged, and women must wear long, black robes called abayas in public. MTV cameras capture unfiltered footage as young people tell four stories of rebellion from inside one of the world’s strictest societies, and as they fight to follow their dreams regardless of the consequences.
“This ‘True Life’ documentary is a great example of what the series does at it’s best – it uncovers stories of young people’s lives that, otherwise, our audience may never be exposed to,” said Dave Sirulnick, Executive Vice President of MTV News and Docs. “The special explores a culture quite different from what we experience in America – one where women are forbidden to drive, single men can’t enter the mall unless they are accompanied by a female family member as their guardian, and bands struggle to find venues that will allow them to play rock music. Despite stark cultural differences, the stories of these young Saudis who embody the courage, strength and perseverance to inspire change, should resonate with young audiences everywhere.”
The young people featured in “True Life Presents: Resist the Power! Saudi Arabia” are fighting for change within the country, where they face being ostracized for living outside of cultural and religious norms. In the documentary, a young man struggles against society’s view of marriage and relationships in hopes of arranging a face-to-face meeting with a young woman he met online, even though authorities forbid it; a rock band strives to play the music they love publicly, a risky step that could land them in jail and get their music censored forever; a 22-year old risks his own freedom by openly demanding that women are given a voice in government; and a young woman makes brightly colored abayas for women to wear, provoking the harsh judgment her conservative society.
For over 10 years, the MTV audience has connected to the diverse, boundary-pushing storytelling found on “True Life.” The documentary series airs raw, private scenes, giving unique perspective and insight into what it’s like to be a young person. In its return to a weekly timeslot this season, the episode “True Life: I Hate My Face,” – featuring two women battling with Body Dysmorphic Disorder – delivered the highest ratings for the franchise in nearly two years. This season “True Life” has examined a range of unexpected, compelling topics including “True Life: I have Digital Drama,” “True Life: I have a Traumatic Brain Injury,” and “True Life: I’m Hustling In the Hamptons,” to name a few.
“True Life,” explores topics relevant to young people by telling their stories through first-person accounts and delves into issues on cultural trends covering matters relating to lifestyle subjects such as health, sex drugs, spirituality, money and more. In 2009, “True Life” received a Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Special Class Series category.
For more information or for a look at past “True Life” past episodes, head to http://www.mtv.com/shows/truelife/series.jhtml.
“True Life Presents: Resist The Power! Saudi Arabia” is Executive Produced by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady of Loki Films. The “True Life” series is Executive Produced by Dave Sirulnick, Marshall Eisen, Betsy Forhan and Jim Fraenkel of MTV.