Launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy seeks to raise the economic contribution of the creative economy to 5 percent of the emirate’s GDP by 2025. Playing a key role in this strategy is cinema that promises to enhance the quality of life of people living in the country.
Even before the launch of the strategy, significant investments were already being made by the government to expand the local creative and art industry, as part of a broader strategy to transform the country’s economic outlook. Sensing an opportunity to make a real difference in the country’s and eventually the region’s cultural landscape a project called Cinema Akil was launched in 2014. It was a travelling cinema pop-up that introduced the emirate to arthouse cinema.
“The time seemed right to launch an alternate cinema experience. Thankfully we found supportive partners in the likes of The Third Line art gallery that embraced our eclectic programming,” recollected Butheina Hamed Kazim, Founder and Managing Director of Cinema Akil during an exclusive interview with TRENDS.
The idea was to gauge whether people in Dubai had an appetite for content beyond commercial cinema. It was Kazim’s attempt to not only broaden Dubai’s cultural offerings by introducing curated storytelling through arthouse cinemas but also make cinemas part of the conversation in community-driven spaces and events in the UAE. The project grew over four years, showcasing the growing popularity of and appreciation for alternative cinematic content in the emirate. That’s when [in 2019] Kazim decided to give Cinema Akil a permanent home in Alserkal Avenue.
“There is a theatre proposition, coupled with a strong cinema going culture in the UAE. In fact, the UAE has the largest number of cinema screens per capita in the Middle East. We don’t have dearth of cinema. Yet, I kept feeling as if something was missing. There wasn’t a space where a community could come together and bond over cinemas that weren’t being screened elsewhere. We changed that with Cinema Akil.”
Beyond screening movies
According to Kazim, Cinema Akil has never been only about screening movies. “If that were the case, we could have leveraged different business models,” she said.
The Dubai International Film Festival had experimented with a 45-seater cinema at Mall of the Emirates to programme their films all-year round. More than a decade ago another concept called Picturehouse in The Dubai Mall also attempted to introduce a new form of cinema focused on indie films. However, both concepts were short lived.
So, what was the missing ingredient?
“What I’ve realized is this kind of cinemas is not solely dependent on screening of the movies which is a key ingredient but not enough to create a recipe for success. The success of concepts like Cinema Akil hinges on the ability to sit and have conversations around the films, share stories, form connections, and eventually build a strong community of like-minded people.”
Making cinemas part of everyday conversations
“What we set out to do is curate and screen cinemas that duly represent the place we are operating from, and something that people can identify with. As a cinema house, our role is to celebrate important and iconic films of the past offering a context through cinematic works, particularly documentaries, the stylistic evolution of the landscape.”
“There are industry and cultural aspects of cinemas. But above all, there’s a secret sauce in cinemas that finds its way into our private spaces, dinner tables, and redefines our consciousness in the way we view the world. It redefines the way we think of an experience, a place, time, language, or even a person. And its our responsibility as content creators, storytellers, or film makers to represent such authentic experiences by enabling creation, circulation, and distribution of such content and stories,” Kazim added.
Financial sustainability of arthouse cinema
Within a year of operating from its permanent location, Cinema Akil was faced with the pandemic and associated challenges. Asked how Cinema Akil survived the roadblocks and plans to become financially sustainable, Kazim said:
“Anyone who tells you that arthouse cinema makes huge money is probably joking. The theatrical and cinema industry faced tremendous challenges during the pandemic due to social distancing, delays in movie releases, and halt of film festivals. The entire industry took a huge hit. And arthouse, to begin with, is already a niche and specialized segment usually operating around a non-profit model. Ticket sales alone don’t even cover the cost of cinema houses, except in France. So, we had to quickly experiment new and creative ways to continue operating. It ranged from programming curated films for different pop-up events, through concessions, and branding opportunities in our brick-and-mortar space.”
“In addition, during the pandemic the concept of venue rental became a key focus area for us to allow people to safely convene to watch movies as well as use the space for private and corporate events, press previews, concerts, and much more. And I believe that is the future of cinema as we move into a more competitive streaming dominated landscape. I don’t think cinema is dead. But the operating model of cinema houses must change. In our case, we will continue to focus on high-quality programming while keeping the community aspect at our core.”
Changemaking through cinema
In summation, when asked how Cinema Akil is championing voices of women through cinemas, Kazim said, “That women face roadblocks, restrictions and have to navigate patriarchal structures is a global struggle. Our role as a cinema house is in joining that struggle and championing the nuances of those voices through our curated content.”