Films from the MENA region have been shown in the UK for many years now in a variety of settings.  Often under the banner of ‘World Cinema’, many of these films have been showcased in film festivals and specially curated programmes, but some have also seen general cinematic releases, were shown on broadcast television, or distributed on DVD. In recent years, with the rise of streaming platforms and a transforming media landscape, the volume of films from the MENA area on UK screens has increased and different formats, such as TV dramas, are entering the market. At the same time, recent years have seen political turbulence across the region which has affected and informed, in different ways, both film production and its world-wide distribution and exhibition.  

We held a roundtable in summer 2022 at Lancaster, bringing several stake holders (distributors, programmers, and academics) together to open a conversation about the challenges and opportunities afforded by the new media and political landscapes, for the distribution, exhibition, and reception of films from the MENA area in the UK. Combining some of the key discussion points from the event and our conversations with early career filmmakers whose films are made available on video on demand platforms, I would like to share some of findings to the film community at this year’s conference. While we believe this topic requires more in-depth research, these early findings are a great indication of where the industry is heading and how we as film scholars can feedback to the industry. By feeding back we envision to offer a sustainable strategy for bringing content from the region to UK audiences.