MOHAMMED Bazeid, a 28-year-old Saudi short film director, is looking for an actress for his next project. Too bad she’s not likely to be a Saudi.

“I found actresses from almost all Arab nationalities — Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian and Moroccan — but I could not find any Saudis,” he said.

Bazeid is currently working on his second self-funded short film. He didn’t want to provide details of the project except to say that it requires an actor and an actress, unlike his last project that had only male roles. He said it’s almost impossible to find Saudi women to fill acting roles. And, he said, his standards are relatively low: He’s not looking for a tried and true professional, but a new face for a project he admits is relatively novice.

“First of all, I didn’t know where to look for actresses,” he said. “We really lack the basic database of Saudis involved in this industry.”

It’s probably not surprising, since the Kingdom hasn’t had movie theaters since they were banned over 20 years ago, and there aren’t any acting societies or other national organizations. The Ministry of Culture and Information recently announced that it would be organizing a national Dramatist Society.

“We are in the final stages and it’s going to be announced soon,” said Jeddah Drama Group manager Abdullah Bahattab.

After contacting his colleagues working in different broadcasting arenas, Bazeid finally found a young Saudi actress — he didn’t say who — but she decline the offer because she considered the theme of the film provocative. So, as most producers end up doing, Bazeid looked abroad for an Arab actress.

“I’m working with a Jordanian actress who will come to Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Bazeid says that even as the country slowly opens up to the idea of men and women working together in the professional environment, the field if acting seems to be lagging in what slow progress is being made.

“Saudi women are involved in all professions and in some work places they work closely with men,” he said. “Society has somewhat accepted this in one way or another.”

But acting is a different kind of profession, he says. The pay is low — many do it just for the passion for the craft.

“We don’t have a stable acting environment in the Kingdom,” he said. “We do it out of love, not as part of a whole organized industry.”

Haifa Al-Mansour, a well-known Saudi director, had to cast herself in roles for two of her films, “Bitter Departure” and “Who”. She’s also played in a short film titled “Taxi”, directed by Mishaal Al-Enaizi.

“I was just starting in 2003 and I did not know anyone at the time, but the situation is greeting better now,” she said, while admitting that she lacks the natural charisma for acting and prefers to be behind the camera not in front of it.

Al-Enaizi described the difficulty in finding women to play roles for his projects. During a Saudi movie festival that was held in Jeddah last summer, Al-Enaizi complained at the press conference following his movie premiere about the difficulty he faced in finding a Saudi actress as a result he asked his friend director Haifa Al-Mansour to play a part in the movie.

“I don’t understand the mentality where women appear on television and condemn actresses, is it not the same to be on television?” said Al-Enaizi.

For her part, Al-Mansour says she has been able to find five inexperienced Saudi women willing to play roles for her projects, but it has involved a great deal of networking. “Saudi females in general are reluctant to act, and it’s hard to find someone with dedication and talent,” she said, adding that she isn’t looking for talent abroad — she wants Saudi women for her roles, even if the talent isn’t as good.

“I’m looking for fresh faces with distinct Saudi features,” she said. “I want to make something very Saudi, very local.”

One of the five young women vying to work with Al-Mansour was Hind Mohammed, who recently participated in the Saudi movie “Kaif Al-Hal?” which has gotten considerable attention at film festivals overseas, if anything because it’s being hailed as the first feature-length Saudi movie.

Hind said she spent years on radio before moving to film. To improve her acting abilities she traveled to Syria to get some training by professional instructors.

“As I was just coming from Syria I got an offer to work in the movie,” she said. “It just happened by accident.”

Hind says she has received nothing but encouragement from her friends, family and professional contacts.

“I don’t think the lack of Saudi actresses is because of society’s misconception of the craft anymore,” she said, pointing the finger at producers that have no interest in finding or propagating Saudi acting talent.

Still, Saudis producers like Bazeid and Al-Mansour will continue to search far and wide for Saudi women with a passion for acting.

Bazeid has not yet settled on the Jordanian actress, he said his search for home-grown female talent continues.