The ICO are delighted to be meeting independent cinemas from across the Middle East at the first specialised workshop for arthouse cinema management and programming in the Arab world.
Organised by The Network of Arab Arthouse Screens (NAAS) and Metropolis Cinema Association, in collaboration with ArteEast, during the 5-day workshop, participants will attend sessions, case studies, and panel discussions by experts in the field, as well as share experiences and participate in discussions focusing on:
- Creative film programming
- Strategies for audience development
- The business of distribution
- Successful management of an arthouse cinema
- Common issues facing arthouse cinemas in the region
Independent arthouse cinemas allow audiences to discover non-commercial films and are a platform for social cultural and political debates, as well as forming an alternative distribution sector. The network offers the young programmers of the region a chance to collaborate and exchange experiences while showcasing their talent, and the workshop will host 20 participants from the Arab world, namely: Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, U.A.E and Lebanon.
At the invitation of British Council, Simon Ward and Kate Taylor of the ICO, alongside Sarah Boiling of The Audience Agency, will be delivering workshops on Audience Development and Income Building for cinemas. Simon Ward says:
“We are very excited to be invited to share our experience at this inaugural event, contribute to the professional development of NAAS members, and learn ourselves from such a broad range of innovative cinemas and festivals collectively championing independent film across the Arab world.”
The project is supported by Hubert Bals Fund, FSP “Consolidation et développement de la francophonie au Liban” and the British Council, and NAAS is incubated by ArteEast and supported by the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations.