As part of its continuous follow-up of cultural and artistic affairs in the Arab World, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (Culture Department) held, on December 8, 2020, a virtual coordination meeting that brought together a number of directors of Arab film festivals and institutions.
The meeting addressed the issues and problems facing the Arab film industry, particularly the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the film industry in terms of production, distribution and the organization of festivals and other related events.
The meeting discussed the ways and mechanisms for launching a process of networking and expertise-sharing among Arab cinema festivals and centers under the umbrella of ALECSO. It also addressed the future of international film festivals and events, and the ways of maintaining their continuity in light of the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting closure of cinemas and movie-theaters and cancellation of cultural and artistic events.
The meeting discussed the role that funding institutions can play in supporting the film industry in these special circumstances. It also addressed the prevalence of large digital broadcasting platforms and the resulting effects on the intellectual and material property rights of artists.
The meeting ended with the formation of a working group for coordination, networking and follow-up. This body is composed of officials from film institutions/festivals and filmmakers, and is in charge of developing a draft operational plan for the advancement of the Arab film-making sector, taking into consideration current regional and international changes and the the adverse effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the culture sector in general, and on the film industry in particular.
