Egyptian producer Khaled Abol Naga seeks new direction for Gulf film funding

Investment from Arabian Gulf countries into Egyptian cinema has resulted in a culture of laziness among local producers, he said.

Khaled Abol Naga during the screening and discussion on 'Film Making-The Digital Revolution' in Dubai, Wednesday, March 12, 2014. Courtesy Canon Middle East

Money from the GCC is not supporting the correct talent in the film industry, said the Egyptian actor and producer Khaled Abol Naga.

The investment from these countries into Egyptian cinema has resulted in a culture of laziness among local producers, he said. Any investment received from outside the country should instead be used to encourage regional talent to thrive in Egypt, he said.

“The industry is very lazy. There were a lot of producers throughout the years who, if they wanted money to produce a movie, it was easy to get it from the [Arabian] Gulf. They did not touch their own money for productions,” he said.

This resulted in an industry dominated by the likes of Studio Masr producing formulaic plots, usually romantic comedies that steered clear of controversial issues, he said. Since the studios also own the distribution channels and theatres in the country, there was little room for independent filmmakers to gain exposure.

“This is not new to any film industry. It is the same thing in Hollywood, when big studios start making a lot of money, they have the stars and the system and they don’t go out of their comfort zone – so stagnation happens,” said Mr Abol Naga.

The Arab Spring and the “second revolution”, unearthed the first signs of trouble for the cinema industry, he said. As viewership and visits to the theatres declined, so too did the investment from the Gulf, which forced distributors to rely on independent producers such as Mr Abol Naga to fill their slots.

“We used to struggle to get good slots in cinemas. So now the situation is [that] in order for the distributors to have enough films in theatres, they are asking us to take our movies and putting them in all the slots.”

This has, over the past couple of years, propelled some independent Egyptian films to the limelight, with some such as Villa 69 and Cairo Exit achieving recognition and awards at film festivals worldwide. At this year's Academy Awards, The Square was nominated for best documentary feature.

It is a momentum that Mr Abol Naga hopes will continue now that Gulf money is returning to Egyptian cinema. The producer is currently embarking on a new project in partnership with Canon called iTeam-Cairo, which stands for independent Talents & Artists of Egypt and Arab-world Art production Model highlight Cairo as the capital of cinema for the region and encourage young, independent film makers from across the region.

“The Egyptian film industry doesn’t have to happen in Egypt. People are pouring money into the Gulf, and everybody but the talent is benefiting,” said Mr Abol Naga. “There is Hollywood, Bollywood and Egypt. That is it.”

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