The lights dimmed and the glare decreased, while the activities of the fifth session of the Bahrain Film Festival, which was held under the slogan “Short Films… Great Stories” from October 30 – November 4, 2025 at the Marassi Complex (Galleria), was concluding its activities and bidding farewell to the festival guests.
Amidst the applause, words of thanks and congratulations, and praise for the rhythm of the festival’s activities, which carried a lot of artistic awareness and cultural movement, we asked the question:
What are the challenges of the film industry in the Arab world?
Writer and screenwriter Maryam Naoum was the first to answer… She said: The most important challenges facing the industry in the Arab world lie in the lack of attention to preparation and details, explaining that most of those in charge of the industry do not give the artistic work sufficient time for preparation, which results in depth, which is what the viewer seeks, and achieves the required balance between the expenses of the artistic work and the returns derived from it, noting that not paying attention to the details means dealing with the details from the standpoint that they are just superficial husks.
Maryam Naoum emphasized that studying the artwork in all its aspects makes it leave an impact on the viewer’s memory, noting that the Arab viewer still remembers certain scenes and dialogue sentences from old cinematic and dramatic works until the nineties, and this is due to good preparation and attention to details that attract the viewer and make him connected to the artwork.
Naoum touched on the small number of theaters in the Arab countries, which is another challenge facing the industry, adding: We do not have theaters in the Arab world sufficient for the number of films produced, in addition to the concentration of these theaters in the capitals and major cities, stressing that Egypt, where cinema began 129 years ago, had cinemas and theaters in all Egyptian governorates, unlike today.
Naoum called for reviving the infrastructure and increasing the number of cinemas that will continue to attract younger generations, and which are still better than the street and café for them.
On the other hand, the media personality, Dr. Parwin Habib said that time is the greatest challenge facing the cinematic and dramatic industry in the Arab world, noting that the world today faces the whirlwind of social media and the rapid pace, and that some directors and producers confirm that they are in the direction of producing series, the duration of one episode does not exceed a minute, explaining that this trend came as a reflection of the requirements of the new generation that does not have time to pursue long artistic works.
Dr. Bruin confirmed that platforms are one of the important challenges facing the industry, commenting: We have moved from the screen to the free air, indicating the possibility of benefiting from these platforms in attracting this generation to art that is characterized by warmth and humanity.
Artist Qahtan Al-Qahtani commented: Arab countries in general are suffering from the decline of the film industry, and that the situation in the Gulf region differs from some other Arab countries, due to their lack of infrastructure for the film industry. He added: This industry requires many elements to establish an actual presence in the social and cultural life of the region, and that the cinematic experiences of some young people remain merely experiences to satisfy passion and ambition.
Egyptian producer Mustafa Metwally believes that the challenges facing the drama and film industry are always present, stressing that achieving the equation through which these challenges can be confronted and overcome requires the presence of strong texts, serious and disciplined attempts at professional production, and the availability of the appropriate technical and professional team balanced with the production elements, indicating that cooperating professional groups reduce work risks and give merit opportunities to the artistic project.
Here the talking stopped, and the guests began to leave the festival, leaving with their carries
Their dreams…they dream of a cinematic and dramatic industry that satisfies passion and ambition…they dream despite all the challenges.
