AlRawabi School for Girls

AlRawabi School for Girls (Arabic: مدرسة الروابي للبنات) is a Jordanian drama streaming television series about the impact of bullying on young women, directed by Tima Shomali and produced by Filmizion Productions (on behalf of Netflix).[1] The six-part miniseries premiered in 32 languages and 190 countries on Netflix on August 12, 2021. It is dubbed in more than 9 languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Turkish.[2] It is the second Jordanian Netflix original series after Jinn.[3]

AlRawabi School for Girls
Standard Arabicمدرسة الروابي للبنات
GenreDrama
Created byTima Shomali
Written by
  • Tima Shomali
  • Shirin Kamal
  • Islam Alshomali
Directed byTima Shomali
Starring
Country of originJordan
Original languageArabic
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
ProducerNadine Toukan
Production locationAmman
Cinematography
  • Rachel Aoun
  • Ahmad Jalboush
Editors
  • Eyad Hamam
  • Ibrahim Taani
Running time45 minutes
Production companyFilmizion Productions
Release
Original networkNetflix
Original releaseAugust 12, 2021 (2021-08-12) 
present (present)

In May 2022, the series was renewed for a second season after originally being announced as a miniseries.[4]

Plot

After Mariam is bullied in her elite Jordanian private school, she plans revenge with her friends. However, it has un-expected consequences. The show also portrays different aspects of school that are not talked about. The show reflects and represents the patriarchy, corrupt systems/industries, bullying, sexual assault, reputation and the tradition of honour killings.[5]

Cast

Main

Recurring

  • Nadera Emran as Principal Faten Qadi
  • Reem Saadeh as Miss Abeer
  • Jana Zeineddi as Laila
  • Ahmad Hamdan as Laith Radwan
  • Sari Silawi as Hazem

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"School Was My Happy Place"Tima ShomaliTima Shomali
Shirin Kamal
Islam Alshomali
August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12)
The students are interrogated after a violent incident at a top-notch all-girls school, and new pupil Noaf finds herself stuck in a tight spot.
2"Game On!"Tima ShomaliTima Shomali
Shirin Kamal
Islam Alshomali
August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12)
Vengeful, Mariam returns to school, but her troubles continue, especially when her bestie deserts her. A clash between Noaf and Layan sparks drama.
3"What Goes Around Comes Around"Tima ShomaliTima Shomali
Shirin Kamal
Islam Alshomali
August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12)
The newly allied Mariam and Noaf set out to take down their first bully at the school's open day. Dina's efforts to fit in lead to a change of heart.
4"Broken Glass"Tima ShomaliTima Shomali
Shirin Kamal
Islam Alshomali
August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12)
Rania and Layan vow to make whoever was responsible for Ruqayya's scandal pay. In spite of their success, the misfits argue about the next steps.
5"And She Became a Stranger"Tima ShomaliTima Shomali
Shirin Kamal
Islam Alshomali
August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12)
On an overnight class trip, Layan and Rania make post-curfew plans. In the wake of a traumatic incident, Noaf starts to have second thoughts.
6"The Calm Before the Storm"Tima ShomaliTima Shomali
Shirin Kamal
Islam Alshomali
August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12)
Emboldened, Mariam is hell-bent on getting back at her last target, despite Noaf and Dina's warnings about the real danger of her actions.

Production

Development

When Tima Shomali developed the idea for AlRawabi School for Girls, she was not specifically thinking about a release on Netflix. According to an interview Shomali gave for Amman TV (and summarized by Al Bawaba) however, "the global streaming platform loved the show and translated it to several languages."[6] Shomali also indicated in the same interview that her goal was to create a dialogue about the concept of bullying, as when she was growing up, the term "was not used, and we did not know what bullying meant, but we lived through it and did not know about it."[6] Shomali also commented on her intent to introduce women's voices the "one thing I always found lacking in most shows that talk about women is the female perception on their issues. So I gathered around a brilliant team of women to work on developing and executing the show's creative vision. Together, we envisioned and built the elements of the Al Rawabi world, starting from the characters, set design, colors, lighting and even the music."[7][8] Later, on April 13, 2019, Shomali announced to her followers on Facebook that she was working on creating an original Arabic Netflix series, in collaboration with her Jordanian production company Filmizion Productions, titled AlRawabi School for Girls.[9] On May 18, 2022, Tima Shomali, Netflix MENA and the cast announced a season two to AlRawabi, despite the fact it was supposed to be a mini/limited series. She shared 3 photos via Instagram.[10] Filming wrapped in May 2023.[11]

Casting

Working alongside the writer Shirin Kamal, Tima Shomali created a full female cast drama series,[12] that takes place in an all girls school and explores the ideas of revenge and bullying.[13] They cast "new faces", and allowed the actors to choose the characters that they wanted to portray.[14]

Release

Response

According to Jordanian psychologist Samira H., AlRawabi School for Girls "depicts the significant impact of bullying on the mental health of young girls." She also states that she hopes "stories like the one portrayed in the series encourages parents and schools to be more sympathetic with those who are bullied so that they don’t feel so alone."[15] AlRawabi also created controversy, as many thought it was an inaccurate representation of Jordan, their culture, lifestyle and society, along with Arabs as a whole. People have also criticized AlRawabi for some of the topics mentioned in the show.[5][16] However, many loved this show. On social media, many praised the show for openly portraying topics which don't often get talked about. Many have also praised the show for portraying young/teenaged Arab girls.[5][16]

See also

Further reading

References

  1. Mullally, William (2021-08-11). "One-on-one with the creator of Netflix's new Arabic original 'AlRawabi School for Girls'". Arab News. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  2. Homssi, Dina (May 9, 2021). "مدرسة الروابي للبنات.. مسلسل عربي جديد بطاقم نسائي بالكامل". Vogue Arabia (in Arabic). Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  3. Kumar, Shyama (2021-07-31). "Netflix drops first trailer of Arabic Original production, 'Al Rawabi School for Girls'". Gulf News. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  4. Netflix (May 18, 2022). It's official! AlRawabi School for Girls has been renewed for a second season! 🚨 | Netflix. YouTube. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  5. "Al Rawabi School for Girls: Netflix series sparks debate over portrayal of Jordanian teens".
  6. Mashharawi, Ala' (2021-08-22). "Director Tima Shomali Opens Up About the Controversy Surrounding 'Al-Rawabi School for Girls'". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  7. Abumuhor, Alex (2021-07-31). "Video: Netflix Releases Trailer for Arabic Series 'AlRawabi School for Girls'". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  8. "Netflix's Second Arabic Series Will Focus on Women and You Don't Want To Miss It". Vogue Arabia. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  9. "Netflix launches drama with full female Arab cast". DigitalStudioME. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  10. "‎تيما الشوملي‎ on Instagram: "الموسم الثاني #مدرسة_الروابي_للبنات بالطريق 💕 #AlRawabiSchoolforGirls officially renewed for a SECOND SEASON 💃🏻"".
  11. "Netflix's 'AlRawabi School for Girls' Wraps Up Filming for Season 2". SecneNow. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  12. Wiseman, Andreas (2019-04-15). "Netflix Commissions Ten New Original Movies In India". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  13. "NETFLIX ANNOUNCES ALRAWABI SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, A MIDDLE EASTERN ORIGINAL BY FRESH FEMALE ARAB VOICES". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  14. Mashharawi, Ala' (2021-08-17). "In Pictures: Who Are 'Al-Rawabi School For Girls' Actresses?". Al Bawaba. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  15. Hajjar, Leen (2021-08-26). "How AlRawabi School for Girls Sheds Light On Important Social Matters". Harper's Bazaar Arabia. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  16. "Netflix's 'ALRawabi: School for Girls' sparks row in Jordan for 'uncomfortable & bold' content". 2 September 2021.
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