The French Consulate-General in Jeddah held an event in honor of Saudi women at the residence of French Consul-General Louis Blin on Tuesday.

The consulate awarded two Saudi women for the first time with what is to be an annual award on the occasion of International Women’s Day, which was celebrated globally on Saturday.

Suad Husseini Juffali, a prominent social activist and philanthropist, won the award for overall achievement, while Ahd Kamel, an award-winning Saudi filmmaker and actress residing in New York City, won the award for excellence in the field of arts.

Blin said that this event was a testament to France’s recognition of the achievements made by determined women who share the country’s fundamental values of freedom, equality and brotherhood.

“It also aims at expressing our solidarity with women who have contributed to Jeddah’s flourishing development in order to encourage them to persevere and reassert their rights,” said Blin.

“France has always supported equality and women’s rights. As such, we feel it is our duty to encourage women around the world to fulfill their ambitions and potential.”

Juffali thanked the Blin and his spouse, Nafisa Blin, for honoring her for her relentless efforts and contribution to social initiatives.

Juffali said she took up social work from a very young age and would never stop encouraging women from coming forward to uphold their duty toward society.

Kamel also thanked Blin for the honor and shared her struggle and the obstacles she faced to make it as a media personality.

An actress and director, Kamel told the audience of the cultural and societal challenges women face when entering into such a field.

At the end of the program, two short films made by Kamel were shown to the audience.

“Scrap” depicts the problems and everyday reality of Saudi women because of their restriction from driving. “Shoemaker,” meanwhile, sheds light on the hardships faced by prisoners of war. Both films are based on true stories.