META Cinema Forum to address Middle East and Africa demand-supply mismatch

The next edition of the META Cinema Forum will address the demand-supply mismatch in film contents and cinema facilities across the Middle East and Africa.

The event will be held from 25-26 October 2022 at the Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai. Cinema industry stakeholders from Turkey, Asia and CIS countries will join the Forum, which is in its fifth year, making it a truly global cinema industry convention.

More than 500 industry delegates, experts and participants will discuss and debate the opportunities and challenges faced by the industry stakeholders at the META Cinema Forum. More than 60 suppliers will display the latest products and services that boost the moviegoer experience. The event brings all the stakeholders on a single platform to brainstorm on the growth of the industry and identify opportunities going forward. It will host seminars, awards, premieres of new movies, workshops, and masterclasses, and showcase new products and exclusive slate content presentations.

The two-day mega cinema industry conference will be followed by a three-day META Film Fest that will screen over 40 shortlisted full feature films, documentaries, and short films along with premieres of highly anticipated releases of 2022 at the VOX Cinemas at the Nakheel Mall.

“META Cinema Forum has become an international platform for the global cinema industry community to build partnerships and bridge the content gap, in addition, to discuss ways to expand the cinema chains into emerging markets,” Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, Great Mind Events Management, said.

META Cinema Forum also complements the development of the creative economy whose contribution could make a significant impact in Middle Eastern and African countries. It will boost the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy, which aims to transform Dubai into an international destination for creativity and capital of the creative economy by 2025.

The Dubai Creative Economy Strategy aims to double the contribution of the creative industries to the GDP of Dubai from 2.6 per cent in 2020 to 5 per cent by 2025. It also seeks to more than double the number of Dubai-based creative companies from 8,300 in 2020 to 15,000 by 2025, and more than double the number of creators based in the emirate, from 70,000 in 2020 to 140,000 by 2025.

META Cinema Forum is backed by industry players including Universal Pictures International, Warner Bros. Entertainment, AMC Cinemas, Cinepolis Gulf, Maison SU, Cinemarine, CineBodrum, FilmHouse Cinemas, Golden Scene, Cinema Plus, Dolby, ME Cinemas, Starz Play, Cinepax and Empire Entertainment.. The event is supported by VOX Cinemas as the Strategic Cinema Partner, and the National Film Authority has joined as Supporting Partner.