Doha: HE Managing Director of Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) Hassan bin Abdullah Al Thawadi stressed the importance of Arabic content reaching a global audience. During a panel discussion held under the title 'from the world cup to the silver screen,' as part of the 3rd Web Summit Qatar 2026, His Excellency indicated that the ambitions today lie in creating a world-class cinema within Qatar, to be one of the main players at the heart of the global creative industry after five years, and for Arabic content to have an influential presence in the global cultural cycle.
According to Qatar News Agency, His Excellency pointed out that hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was a platform that allowed all groups from different backgrounds and cultures to gather under one platform, which today calls for taking advantage of and building on it. He indicated that Arabic content is 'missing from the global narrative in particular.' He noted the importance of refuting the concept of entertainment being central to the West, as reality proves that entertainment is not linked to a specific geographical area, as evidenced by the existence of a film and creative industry in Korea, Japan, China, and the Arab world.
His Excellency said that Arab culture has a role in storytelling, especially in the form of modern storytelling such as films, and there is a great history that testifies to this. However, the major markets are located in the West, which gave the impression that the industry is only Western, while the reality confirms that the market is global, and this is what happened when Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
HE Al Thawadi stressed that the initiatives being launched today aim to make Qatar the gateway for everyone who wants to access the Middle East. Everyone today wants to film in the Middle East, and the State of Qatar is their gateway and the platform through which they can reach the rest of the countries in the region.
Regarding local content creators, HE Al Thawadi stressed that Qatar is the platform that helps them access global markets. He noted that global markets are not limited to the West only, but also include markets in the Middle East and Far East, such as Indonesia and China, as they are major consumers of content today, and Qatar has the ability to be at the center of the East and West to meet both markets.
His Excellency pointed out that Qatar is working on cooperation with some of the world's leading technology providers. He noted that the country is in the process of establishing the right system in this regard to attract key players in the film and entertainment industry such as Neon and Sony, in addition to joint cooperation with Mirmax Films, with the aim of presenting a number of local and Arab projects, and working on a distribution strategy to reach global markets.
His Excellency noted the importance of focusing on leading technology providers with regard to modern AI-powered sound studios so that they can contribute to the film and entertainment sector.
Regarding Arabic content, His Excellency said that they want Arabic content to reach global markets and global cultural narratives, like Korean or Indian content.
His Excellency added that the Arab region told stories from Morocco to the Gulf, and had points of convergence with Latin America and Asia, yet these stories did not reach global markets as they should have.
His Excellency pointed out that the Arabic story can achieve commercial success and at the same time offer genuine cultural depth. He indicated that the ability of Arabic content to reach global markets is still weak, recalling the famous documentary 'The Story of Film,' which covers the history of cinema globally from the beginnings of the silent era until the 1990s, where it devoted a short section to the Arabic film, despite the depth of the Arab industry and the richness of the Arabic storytelling.
HE Al Thawadi stressed the importance of raising the quality of content and the level of distribution strategies to reach global markets, east and west, indicating that there are local and regional platforms that showcase some of the best Arab productions in terms of storytelling quality, but the need today lies in ensuring that Arab content reaches global markets, with a focus on a mix of regional platforms and international distribution partners to ensure effective content delivery.
HE SC Managing Director Hassan bin Abdullah Al Thawadi indicated that technology forms a large part of the industry, but it cannot replace the human spirit. The film and creative industry depends on human nature, stressing that human creativity remains the beating heart of the industry, while technology can help reduce costs and improve efficiency.