Arab Cinema Center hosts Berlinale Panels

Arab Cinema Center hosts Berlinale Panels

to discuss Arab Cinema Hot Spots

Separate panels focus on GCC Record-Breaking Box Office

& Saudi Filmmakers in the International Spotlight

Arab Cinema Center (ACC) — a non-profit organization based in Berlin that is focused on creating networking opportunities between Arab filmmakers and their counterparts around the globe — is scheduled to hold two panels as part of the activities of the upcoming edition of the Berlin International Film Festival’s (Berlinale) European Film Market.

The first panel, entitled “Arab Box Office Bonanza”, to be moderated by Deadline’s Senior International Film Correspondent Melanie Goodfellow, will address the MENA region’s record-breaking box-office revenues which are now approaching an unprecedented $1 billion, powered by astonishing cinema attendance figures in both the U.A.E. and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, together with new milestones for independent Arab-language features in other countries such as Egypt.

The panel will look at the surging success of local-language film titles, how well MENA holds up against other regions’ theatrical revenues right now, and what the post-pandemic future holds for the cinema exhibition business in the Arab World even in the face of strong local competition from social media and streaming services.

The second panel, entitled “International Tipping Point for Saudi Filmmaking”, to be moderated by Screen International’s International News Editor Michael Rosser, will explore how far the Saudi film industry has developed since its inception only twelve years ago. Saudi films are becoming a permanent yearly fixture across the global festival circuit, a testament to the country’s extraordinary efforts to bolster both its filmmaking and audience-watching infrastructure, with the establishment of prominent theater chains across the KSA and the creation of NEOM a pioneering media hub hosting the MENA region’s largest pur00pose-built facility. It serves as a premier shooting location for global content production, having hosted 35 productions within the last two years. As part of this discussion, the panel will explore how Saudi Arabia will fit into both the regional and global film industry ecosystem as an international production partner.

Among the speakers confirmed for these panels so far are:

• Wayne Borg, Managing Director of Media Industries, NEOM

• Gianluca Chakra, CEO, Front Row Entertainment

• Mario Haddad Jr., President of Distribution, Empire International

• Alaa Karkouti, CEO, MAD Solutions

• Mohannad Al-Bakri, Managing Director of the Jordanian Royal Film Commission (RFC)

• Alaa Fadan, CEO & Chairman, Telfaz11

• Amjad Abu Alala, Film Director/Producer

Commenting on the panels and lauding the ACC’s recurrent critical role in the platform, Dennis Ruh, Director of the European Film Market said:

“True to our motto It all starts here! I congratulate the organizers to bring the 10th anniversary edition of the Arab Cinema Center back to the place where it was held for the first time: Berlin! We appreciate the efforts of this initiative and see the great synergy effects that have arisen from this merger and the great visibility effects. The Arab Cinema Center continually captures the latest trends in developments in this multi-faceted region. I’ve seen much diversity in storytelling in films from MENA, presenting a nuanced picture of local cultures and societies, but also in terms of different film genres. Especially the increase in the number of women filmmakers gaining recognition for their work is a notable development.”

ACC Co-Founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab expressed their excitement for the upcoming editions of the Berlinale and EFM, in particular how these recent success stories for Arab cinema demonstrate the enduring strength of the cinema experience at a time when the film industry at large has been lamenting the decline of theatrical audiences a of cinema will stressing the growing footprint of the Saudi film industry and the pan-Arab film industry at large on the global scene.

“In the face of an equally ever-changing global social, political, and economic landscape, it gives us joy to be able to celebrate these oases of success: independent Arab films are getting attention on the global stage and are also winning over audiences at home,” commented Karkouti and Diab. “We are delighted to share those achievements with the international film community in the hope that this fosters greater global collaboration with the fastest growing entertainment sector in the world right now.”

“We would also like to thank the Berlinale and the EFM for consistently giving the MENA region a platform to make its voice heard by hosting these panels,” they concluded.

In addition to the panels, the ACC will unveil a new edition of its Arab Cinema Magazine; it will crown its latest Arab Personality of the Year; and it will be announcing the latest critics to join the already extensive jury for its Arab Critics Awards for Arab Films. It will also soon release a list of the panelists that will be participating in the Box Office Bonanza and International Tipping Point for Saudi Filmmaking panels, so stay tuned.