The Emergent Landscape of Emirati Cinema: Navigating Economic Pressures, Cultural Identity, and Digital Disruption
The film industry in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stands at a critical crossroads, confronting a complex interplay of economic priorities, cultural identity formation, and technological transformation. Embedded within the UAE’s neoliberal cultural policy is a predominant focus on economic returns, a paradigm that has significantly influenced approaches to film production and distribution (Mellor, 2024). While this orientation promises financial viability, it simultaneously risks diminishing the growth of a distinctive local cinematic voice, an issue that echoes throughout the narratives of Emirati filmmakers active in the sector.
Between 2004 and 2017, the UAE witnessed the flourishing of a vibrant festival scene, anchored by notable events such as the Dubai Film Festival. These festivals operated not only as showcases for local talent but also as critical nodes for networking, critique, and audience development. Veteran filmmaker P7 reflects on this era with a mixture of nostalgia and insight, emphasizing that these festivals were instrumental incubators for artistic experimentation and quality assurance. “These festivals were helping to add a certain quality [to the produced films] … audiences were watching the films, critics, and journalists were attending too,” he recalls. The abrupt cessation of such festivals has, however, precipitated a void, eroding the scaffolding that once bolstered Emirati cinematic expression and critical engagement.
This contraction in festival activity coincides with reductions in state subsidies, compounding challenges for filmmakers. The ramifications of this dwindling support are evident in P7’s candid assessment: “If the current situation does not change, I expect that there will be a big slowdown, but if it reverted to the previous situation in the presence of festivals, we would be in a completely different place. When I have funding, I have support, and I have a platform.” Film festivals offered more than mere publicity; they constituted a backbone for sustaining quality, nurturing talent, and providing critical visibility on both local and global platforms.
Crucially, the role of film festivals extended beyond artistic concerns into the realm of internationalization. By showcasing Emirati films to a global audience, these events facilitated the integration of UAE cinema into a broader international framework, a developmental trajectory underscored by P2’s lament that “the absence of festivals meant the absence of film platforms and opportunities for young directors and writers.” P7’s guarded optimism hinges on institutional commitment: sustained financing from ministries, alongside structured support for festivals, screenings, and competitions, is viewed as imperative for charting a positive future course.
Yet systemic barriers persist. The UAE’s relatively small domestic market, as pointed out by P1, poses intrinsic limitations to the economic scalability of film production. With high costs and constrained infrastructure, many filmmakers operate in an ad hoc fashion. P1 reflects on this reality: “We don’t have an industry; we have movies [produced individually].” The absence of a cohesive industrial infrastructure impedes the development of a self-sustaining cinematic ecosystem, placing extraordinary strain on individual initiatives rather than collective growth.
This fragmented landscape underscores a broader deficit: the scarcity of institutional pathways to cultivate creative talent and professional expertise. P10’s observation rings acutely: “The Emirati investor is almost non-existent. There are only individual efforts but no national efforts.” He highlights the lack of comprehensive educational frameworks, noting the limited availability of programs focused on film studies or performing arts within the UAE. Where educational infrastructure exists, such as the Performing Art Academy in Sharjah, it comprises only a partial step towards establishing a holistic ecosystem encompassing education, funding, festivals, and distribution. Comparative insights from Saudi Arabia illustrate the potential benefits of a fully integrated system, including universities dedicated to film education and formalized industry bodies such as cinema authorities and professional syndicates.
The educational gap directly impacts the sustainability of local talent retention. P9 warns that despite sending Emirati students overseas to study filmmaking, without local support structures upon their return, these skilled individuals face uncertain career trajectories. He analogizes filmmaking to other professions requiring multifaceted teams and infrastructural backing: “Creativity is only 10% in filmmaking, which is like a hospital … where you have doctors, technicians, nurses, accountants, marketing, and many specialties.” This observation foregrounds the necessity of an ecosystem that extends beyond creative impulses to include managerial, financial, and technical competencies.
The scarcity of supportive frameworks is also reflected in the scarcity of collaborative specialization within filmmaking itself. P4 highlights a critical limitation in scriptwriting capacity: the absence of dedicated writing workshops forces many filmmakers to juggle multiple roles, compromising the creative process. “In any film, you are likely to find one author, who wrote the film, and wrote the script and the dialog, and he is also the director, although each [specialization] needs a different team.” This multifaceted strain exemplifies the broader systemic weaknesses confronting the sector.
Nevertheless, opinions about the function of film festivals are not univocal. P9 expresses skepticism about the direct impact of festivals on strengthening the local film industry. He characterizes festivals primarily as promotional vehicles for urban tourism rather than engines of industry consolidation, citing Cannes as a premier example: “Is the French film industry the strongest in the world? No, but the festival is strong.” Such perspectives invite a nuanced understanding of festivals’ dual roles as both cultural showcases and economic marketing tools within global city branding strategies.
Quality remains a contentious arena within the Emirati film discourse. P4 delineates a divide between commercially driven productions aimed at financial returns and culturally significant works serving artistic or narrative authenticity. He contrasts films like Boy of the Hills, praised for visual sophistication, against hastily produced projects seeking quick profits. Economic incentives—such as streaming platforms offering immediate returns—often skew filmmakers toward commercially expedient choices. P4 encapsulates this conundrum: “If a film costs AED 50, and Netflix buys it for AED 100, then I gain AED 50 … Why wouldn’t I go to a platform that pays me well?” This pragmatic calculus highlights the tension between artistic aspiration and market realities in a nascent industry.
Financial constraints manifest starkly in production realities: costs in the UAE significantly outpace those in neighboring countries or global hubs. Filmmakers frequently resort to shooting abroad to manage budget limitations, further diluting the cultural roots and authenticity of productions. The small Emirati audience restricts revenue generation, undermining incentives for high-budget, high-quality local films. Despite these pressures, creators emphasize cinema’s role as a vital medium for cultural expression and national identity articulation.
In contrast to the UAE’s neoliberal market orientation, several other nations adopt proactive, protective measures to nurture their film industries. South Korea’s strategic use of import restrictions and mandatory screening quotas exemplifies a comprehensive public policy framework supporting domestic production and reducing Hollywood dominance (Messerlin and Parc, 2017). Such policies serve multiple objectives—from enabling new filmmakers to survive financially to preserving and disseminating cultural heritage. Governments thereby utilize subsidies and regulatory mechanisms as bulwarks against cinematic homogenization, fostering robust, sustainable film sectors despite global competitive pressures (Murschetz et al., 2018).
The UAE’s entrée into the film domain during the so-called post-cinema era, characterized by digital filmmaking’s rise, further complicates local industry development. Unlike traditional cinema industries reliant on substantial government funding and infrastructure, the UAE’s cinematic framework has evolved with greater independence from state support (Yunis, 2020). This digital paradigm shift both facilitates creative flexibility and exacerbates funding uncertainties, creating an environment where filmmakers must deftly navigate rapidly changing technological and economic landscapes.
Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Shahid emerge as potential game-changers in this context, offering new avenues for financing and disseminating Emirati films. While streaming service acquisition offers filmmakers promising revenue streams and international reach, it also introduces uncertainties about creative control, audience engagement, and cultural representation. The delicate balance between artistic authenticity and commercial success is further complicated by these digital intermediaries, whose programming decisions and market priorities may not align perfectly with local cultural objectives.
In summary, the Emirati film sector embodies an industry in flux, wrestling with the interplay of economic imperatives, evolving cultural identities, and transformative digital technologies. The erosion of institutional supports such as film festivals, the absence of robust educational and industrial infrastructures, and the challenges posed by a small domestic market complicate efforts to sustain a coherent, high-quality cinematic tradition. Nevertheless, optimism endures among stakeholders who envision renewed state support, strengthened festival circuits, and enhanced ecosystem development as critical levers for growth.
For the UAE to realize a vibrant and globally recognized film industry capable of affirming its cultural narratives, it must reconcile the competing tensions of market-driven economics and artistic integrity. This will demand coordinated policy interventions, investment in human capital, and strategic engagement with emerging digital platforms. The developing story of Emirati cinema offers a compelling case study of how cultural industries navigate the pressures of globalization, technological change, and national identity formation in the 21st century.
Subject of Research:
Digital shifts and infrastructural challenges in the development of Emirati cinema within the context of neoliberal cultural policy and global streaming disruptions.
Article Title:
Digital shifts in Emirati film.
Article References:
Alradimi, M., Mellor, N. Digital shifts in Emirati film.
Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 632 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04747-6
Image Credits: AI Generated
