ABU DHABI: The International Congress of Arabic and Creative Industries began at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on Sunday, exploring issues around the Arabic language and its place in culture and media.
“Her Narrative: Women Reimagining Arab Creativity” was a panel discussion that featured three trailblazing voices from the region — actor and producer Hend Sabry, filmmaker Tima Shomali, and Cinema Akil founder Butheina Kazim — who spoke on the evolving role of women in Arab cinema and television.
Sabry opened by noting that Arab women still face “the same challenges as before, but with more pressure,” especially when seeking financing or leadership roles. Yet she acknowledged clear progress, adding: “In the last 10 to 15 years, we’ve reached a decent place.”
She emphasized that women must continue to push for control of their narratives, whether as writers, producers, or directors, and urged more investment in female-driven projects.
Shomali highlighted the gains she sees behind the camera, pointing to the rise of women directors and the global success of her own Netflix hit “AlRawabi School for Girls.”
She also bemoaned the persistent need to “prove ourselves at every stage” and the subtle resistance experienced when women make authoritative creative decisions. Shomali said she deliberately hired mostly female department heads on her production, finding the collaboration “smooth and barrier-free,” and she championed opportunities for women in technical fields such as cinematography and sound design.
Kazim offered a historical lens, tracing women’s influence back to early Arab cinema pioneers like Egyptian actor and producer Aziza Amir and Lebanese Egyptian actor and producer Assia Dagher. She challenged the narrative of female exclusion, noting that women make up nearly half the Arab film workforce. For Kazim, independent cinema is a vital incubator for women’s stories and deserves sustained funding and festival support.
The panelists questioned and explored industry myths: that female-led films do not sell, and that television’s popularity among women is accidental. They cited examples like Nadine Labaki’s “Caramel” and the international reach of “AlRawabi School for Girls” to reject the claims. All three agreed that capital remains the central hurdle and that financiers still back men more readily, limiting women’s creative freedom.
Looking forward, Sabry called for more genre diversity, from science fiction to thrillers; Shomali urged a structured, collaborative Arab industry; and Kazim pressed for robust funding policies.
Kazim said: “If I must pick just one thing (as a future goal): more funding opportunities for women’s works at every level — commercial and independent. And perhaps we should be biased toward the alternative-independent sector. People think it’s a niche with a small audience and little importance but I believe the deepest lessons we are discussing come from independent cinema.
“So, revive and support festivals and funding opportunities for alternative cinema here in the UAE and across the region in a healthy way so that they complement one another.”
