Wael Abu Mansour is a Journalist and Film Director. Originally from Mecca, Wael was born in Riyadh but then settled in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He began his professional career in media, working as a writer, journalist, and editor for 15 years in various renowned journalistic institutions, such as newspapers Al-Watan and Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, and AFP. Wael also contributed in the establishment of various specialized publishing collaterals, in addition to helping set up companies in the field of media and content creation.

Through his journalistic experience, which harnessed his writing and narrative techniques, the journalist decided to alter career paths.

In 2012, Wael decided to venture into filmmaking whilst it was still a largely unconventional field in Saudi Arabia. Wael continuously honed his skills as both a Writer and a Director through rigorous self-education, as well as attending workshops in the cities of Abu Dhabi, Los Angeles, and London.

In his films, Wael explores the notions of identity, exile, and migration from a cultural perspective. In 2013, Wael directed and filmed the short documentary, The Qanadil of Uncle Salem, which tells the story of Salem Bahijri, a Jeddah local who used what little resources he had to refurbish his family’s traditional home in historical Jeddah, in an act of holding onto the revival of the city’s heritage through his own perspective.

In 2015, Wael produced a short film, Mozmarji, about the mozmar, a traditional game in the region of Hijaz. Production lasted more than two years, taking place in Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah. The film has since been independently screened, preceding the inclusion of the “mozmar” game into UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Currently, Wael is working on the post-production of his first film, Carnival City, which completed production during 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.