Before the rise of the internet in the Gulf, Millennials remember a time when media consumption was restricted to whatever was airing on television. This content was rarely produced by the Gulf. A child coming home from school might turn on MBC 4 and watch “Dr. Phil” and “Oprah,” “Days of Lives,” or whatever 1990s or early ‘00s sitcom was playing that day, usually “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” or “How I Met Your Mother.” The khaleeji cinema that produced a masterpiece like the Gulf’s first narrative film, “Bas ya Bahar,” no longer existed, and the locally produced dramas that were on screen remained wedded to familiar tragic tropes.

Today’s online interconnectivity ties the Gulf Arab states to each other and the world at large. Short reels, TikToks, longer YouTube series, and films produced by Hollywood and Bollywood are increasingly matched by content from khaleejis, who are now both creators and consumers. Recently, Gulf governments have begun to invest in content creation, with Saudi Arabia leading the field by investing $234 million through its Film Sector Financing Program, which aims to strengthen the country’s film infrastructure through production grants. This state investment reflects a dedication to encouraging creators and supporting an interest shared by its people, who reminisce of a time when khaleejis saw themselves represented on screen.

AGSIW sat down with Bahraini producer and writer Eman Alsabah. Eman is the creator of Fablemill, a production house and entertainment and culture advisory startup, and IndieSouq, the first crowdfunding platform for filmmakers specifically for the Middle East and North Africa.

Eman founded Fablemill in 2020 with the mission of amplifying Arab voices through cinema and TV. She left the corporate world to create the films she wanted to see on screen. Fablemill is now an award-winning production house. Its first film, “A Small Dream,” has been featured in film festivals worldwide and was the recipient of the Best Gulf Cooperation Council Film Award at the Saudi Film Festival and the Silver Sail Award at the Gulf Media Festival.

The Journey Toward Filmmaking and Fablemill

Eman had always wanted to be a filmmaker, but a dearth of opportunities for filmmaking at the time of her high school graduation left her resigned to a career in engineering. However, she never let go of her dream of one day becoming a filmmaker. She tested out many hobbies in the hope of sating her creative urge, but they all brought her back to film.

When considering the content that was available on TV on the Gulf and from the Gulf, she said that she felt, “We weren’t allowed to be human on television or screen; even local production was steeped in the same stereotypes that are perpetuated in Western media.” She began writing and eventually decided to start Fablemill, a production house that would go beyond the stereotypical, creating content that changes the narrative about khaleejis as people and what they represent. It aims to showcase more grounded examples, innovative narratives, and fresh talent.

A Bygone Era in Khaleeji Film 

When asked if there was ever a golden era of khaleeji cinema, Eman said, “Yes, there was, sometime in the 1990s to the early 2000s. I remember there was a show that was popular in the early 2000s that touched peoples’ hearts. It was such an impactful show because it showcased a part of the community that was marginalized, and it was done very authentically. I think, because of the success of that show, somehow, people thought that this formula works, so they continued the same motifs but with storylines that did not offer new themes or perspectives. That was the birth of the overly dramatic khaleeji drama series.”

These dramas are what the generation of khaleejis who came of age in the early 2000s remember as the content produced by the Gulf. They were often produced yearly and released during Ramadan. The classic characters and stereotypes Eman refers to are vivid in the khaleeji psyche: a cruel mother-in-law, a wife subjected to domestic violence, an abusive and at times alcoholic father, a husband who leads a secret life with another family, a rebellious teenager who sneaks around to partake in all kinds of vices. Eman and her team want to showcase a different perspective of khaleeji culture and history.

The Film and TV Ecosystems in the Gulf States

Gulf states are beginning to invest heavily in film and television production, in line with other initiatives aimed at diversifying the economy. The UAE has established itself as a destination for global media production projects from Hollywood to Bollywood and most recently . Gulf states have also established film festivals to support local producers and have dedicated funds to filmmakers. The Bahrain Film Festival is now in its fourth iteration and showcased 89 films from across the Arab world in 2024 alone. Qatar’s Ajyal Film festival has been running for 12 years. However, Saudi Arabia is currently leading the Gulf film production scene. Eman stressed, “It is incredible what has happened in Saudi Arabia alone in the past few years. We have three film festivals that have come out of Saudi, and they produced 95 local films in the past year alone with many of them doing quite well both nationally and internationally.”

Saudi Arabia is also unique in its support for local narratives. The government is not only supporting Saudi creators financially, but it is providing them with the artistic license to experiment, and that, Eman said, is creating a ripple effect in the region. Saudi films are gaining international attention because of this artistic freedom. This, in turn, positively influences khaleeji filmmakers who had been on the margins of the international filmmaking space – now they are an integral part of it because of the far-reaching influence that Saudi films are gaining.

Regional film festivals, such as the Red Sea Film Festival and Cairo International Film Festival, have also brought together regional artists and creators who had often worked in silos. The Arab film scene is coming together for the first time since the 1960s. Eman noted, “Egyptian films are playing in Saudi festivals and vice versa. The Arab world is becoming more of a village than it used to be when it comes to filmmaking and content creation. We used to consume more Western content, and now we are excited to see more narratives from our own countries.”

When speaking of the challenges that the film and TV industries face, Eman mentioned the difficulty in monetization for both. There is heavy competition among the different platforms and classic TV. With the exception of Saudi Arabia, movie theater attendance has not recovered since the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, theatrical viewership continues to decline worldwide. It is a fight over eyeballs at the end of the day, which is a wider industry trend even outside the Middle East.

A Production House and Consulting Firm

Eman spoke of Fablemill as a studio that produces local content for both TV and cinema. “We want the local market to see our narratives and engage with them. And we want to showcase who we are to the world by creating exciting storylines that resonate with global audiences. This is difficult because we also care about local audiences. We want to create content fit for the region, but we also want this content to travel. As exciting as local movie trends are, we shouldn’t be stagnant, we should be more ambitious and seek to penetrate the international market and expand outward.”

When Eman decided to start Fablemill, her main goal was to produce khaleeji content. But to fund the production house and expand her influence around entertainment and culture, Eman established an advisory arm of the firm first. Eman noted, “Advisory is really crucial to us not just because it supports our productions but because of our intent to be an effective part of the creative industries by supporting organizations, empowering local talent, and developing opportunities that help the creative economy to thrive. Our on-the-ground experience, access, and understanding of local GCC markets gives us a unique perspective; we understand both the players and the stakeholders, and we can bridge the gap between both, creating a vibrant and sustainable ecosystem.”

IndieSouq Fills a Fundraising Gap

Many filmmakers have expressed that fundraising can be the most difficult and time-consuming part of the filmmaking process. Many young filmmakers in the Gulf face issues funding their films and bringing them to production. Funding instruments are rare in the Gulf and broader Middle East. Saudi Arabia is filling that gap but mostly just domestically.

IndieSouq is working to address the fundraising issue through a crowdfunding platform specifically dedicated to film and television. It gives filmmakers the opportunity to create the kind of films they want to see based on the interests of their audiences. It is one of only two rewards-based crowdfunding platforms in the Middle East. Eman acknowledged, however, that people in the region are still not used to crowdfunding, especially online and for creative projects. IndieSouq’s job in the next few years will be to educate the public on both the importance and methods of crowdfunding.

Bringing Stories to Life

When asked about the kinds of stories Fablemill adopts, Eman said that they want to showcase unique stories from voices that traditionally have not been represented on screen. That is why female voices are particularly important and why they have featured heavily in the content they have created thus far.

“My hope is that more risks will be taken on storytelling. I want to see more voices from people we haven’t heard from and more vulnerabilities reflected on screen that we have not yet seen. It would also be great to see genres such as sci-fi and horror that have not historically been part of the film production scene in the Gulf. My hope is for Fablemill to become the company that is known for its innovative storytelling and new and interesting content and for providing an experience that hasn’t been around. For IndieSouq, I hope thousands of projects will come to fruition: from kids’ stories to books to films. I hope to provide all the brave creators in the Middle East with the opportunity to bring their stories to life.”