(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Film industry experts have urged content creators and stakeholders to create more content, collaborate to improve quality and ensure local relevance to meet the demand for regional content.
Speaking at a special session of the Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) Qatar Media Industries Forum held at Qumra, they also recommended polishing storytelling and building alternative spaces for content appreciation.
Khalifa Al Haroon, Founder of the iLoveQatar Network, said the key "is to create locally relevant content" and to just "put it up" and the people would watch. His own experience of creating YouTube content about "Qatari culture for expats in English" has gained over 1 million hits with just 38 episodes.
This was reiterated by Mohammed Makki, Director and Showrunner of the "Takki" series, who said, "Takki succeeded because it is simple and relatable to the people. Today's audience is smart and to reach them, do not seek what they want but start from inside. Write where it hurts; what is bad for the heart is good for art."
Makki also attributed his success in finding an "alternative space" to take his content to the people. "I realized I was passionate about films but in Saudi sadly there are no cinemas. YouTube was booming and I simply connected the dots."
Creating alternative spaces is what Hania Mroue, Director of Metropolis Cinema, does. About ten years ago, realizing the demand for indie and arthouse films, Metropolis was set up as an alternative venue.
"When we started, we were very happy to have 500 admissions for the films we showed; today it is five to seven thousand, and it will grow. Not every festival film works in a commercial cinema but it is important to create alternative spaces."
She added: "The industry should also accept responsibility for shaping demand, and not simply cater only to what the audience wants. When we keep showing festival films, even if we accept losses in the beginning, we can change the local demand."
Fadi Ismail, General Manager of O3 Productions (MBCGroup), pointed out that television still continues to be the mass media leader, and in this space, dramas and films dominate. He said that there is a profusion of local content and "the worst Arabic drama series will get higher ratings than the best US series," but the challenge lies in the quality of the productions.
Selim El Azar, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar-based distributor Gulf Film, said that ultimately it all comes down to "storytelling." He explained that despite speaking one language, the Arab entertainment market is fragmented led by cultural sensitivities and viewer preference for the dialect used. What works in one market, therefore, does not have acceptance in another.
"We do not dub movies; all we provide are subtitles. But I can say that even other language films do well if the story is good." A good story can thus serve as the bridge to travel across the Arab world.
Ismail said that the region faces a deficit in creative storytelling because there is less collaboration. "The US series work because of the sophistication of the writing. Collaboration, therefore, is the most important thing. The content creation industry in the Arab world is chaotic and the practical way for storytelling to develop is through writing rooms."
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