AlRawabi School for Girls: Netflix enrols in high school for new Middle Eastern series

Updated 15-04-19 | 08:01 AM | Staff Reporter

Reading time: 2 mins

Netflix is enrolling in high school in the Middle East for its new original series. Titled AlRawabi School for Girls, the youthful drama is created by Jordanian director Tima Shomali and Shirin Kamal, and promised to bring a fresh perspective to Arab content.

Produced with a full female Arab cast and crew, the series tells the story of how a bullied girl gets revenge on her bullies, only to find out that no one is all bad, and no one is all good, including herself.

Simran Sethi, Director of International Originals at Netflix, says: “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. The story brings a fresh perspective to Middle Eastern content, and we are absolutely excited to shareAl Rawabi School for Girls with our global audiences in over 190 countries.”

Netflix’s second Middle Eastern original – after Jinn, which features a cast of up and coming talent from Jordan – is reflective of the streaming giant’s commitment to investing in the region and exploring more great stories and talent, along with providing filmmakers and audiences a global platform to tell and hear different stories outside the mainstream.

Shomali was also part of Netflix’s Ramadan She Rules campaign in 2017, with 30 other female content creators and social media influencers, which aimed to celebrate strong female leads, both on and off the screen. She says: “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. 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.”