Feminist Movement Influence on the Arab Film Industry

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Introduction

Greater freedom of expression as well as the advancement in the quest for greater democratic space and human rights is affecting all the domains of public life not only in the Arab World, but also in the entire globe (Shafik, 2007). The wave of feminist movement has swept nearly all places in the world today in an attempt to make the society better not only for women, but for all genders, families, and the society. Historically, the dearth in women’s empowerment and liberation has not been simply a problem of justice and equity for women anywhere, but a major cause of the Arab world’s regressive traditions. The Arab human development report 2005: Towards the rise of women in the Arab world (2006) stated that the utilization of the capabilities of the Arab women through political and economic participation has historically remained bottommost in the world in quantitative and qualitative terms. The paper noted that this is demonstrable by the very low share of feminine representation in the Arab workforce, parliaments, and cabinets, as well as in the trends toward the feminization of redundancy in the Arab Nation (The Arab human development report 2005: Towards the rise of women in the Arab world, 2006). In the event, feminist movement inspired the growth and expansion of Arab film industry (Sabry, 2012). Finally, feminist movement in the Arab world contributed greatly to a qualitative change in the women’s political participation and their social and economic status in the Arab region. Therefore, the media need to check and promote this change in order to maintain the upsurge of the film industry. This paper is going to examine the influence of feminist movement on the Arab film industry.

The motivations of feminist movement in the Arab world and the spur on film the industry

The examination, evaluation, and analysis of the history of the feminine movement in the Arab world covers three closely linked, yet complementary phases (MacKenzie, 2014). According to Shafik (2007), each phase is important for the fullest understanding of the feminine cause as a movement that sought to enable women in the Arab World to claim their full and uncompromised privileges of integration in the Arab society. The first period, as Taylor and Whittier (2007) note, is based on the trauma of domination and its impact on Arab women, nuclear families, as well as the extended families. Markedly, the second concerns were more on building of the post-independence Arab nation state. It is noteworthy to pre-empt that the suffering of women in the Arab societies sparked the conflicts arising from the notion and mode of this practice. Finally, the third motivation relates to the emergence of a new feminine consciousness whose strength is an extension of the feminine body politic itself and which derived much of its support from the international pressure and non-governmental discourse on women’s liberation, integration, and empowerment in all parts of the world (Sabry, 2012). For the purpose of this paper, it is equally noteworthy to pre-empt that these chronological stages played a strategic function in creating feminine mindfulness of their real prowess and strength, their place in the Arab societies, as well as in modeling the personality of the campaigner address that was evolving within the mass media platform.

The most dominant element in the Arab women’s movement history may have been its recognition of mass media as a tool in the struggle for liberation from imperialism, hence its contribution in building the film industry. Whichever way, feminine movement and mass media complemented one another in very impressive ways (MacKenzie, 2014). With the increased need to preserve on the rich history that was unfolding, there was need by the media to preserve the unfolding events in films. Moreover, the movement’s involvement in national liberation of the Arab nation states was worthy in nation building hence the reason for media appeal. Finally, the movements’ role in establishing women’s awareness was something of newsworthiness and film content. As the feminine movement gained greater grounds, there was need for journalistic reportage, hence building the film industry.

The influence of feminist movement on the Arab Film Industry

Since the advent of the feminist movement in the Arab world, the number of digital screens increased exponentially, especially in the Arab world. In much of the Arab world, the rate of digitization continues to snowball the film industry. The need to cover the activities of the feminist movement witnessed a sharp rise in the number of digital films needed to highlight the movement (Khatib, 2006). The trend is also characterized by the fact that it gained emphasis in the Arab world owing to the Arab world’s regressive traditions. Notably, the feminist movement formed 70 percent of all digital films in 2007, and by 2001, the portion had fallen by 24 percent. The growth in the Arab film industry escalated in the Middle East as the quest for women’s empowerment increased at the turn of the new millennium. In the wake of the new millennium, the mainstream film industry like Hollywood and other multinational companies operating in the Middle East, declared that digitization of films would help reduce copy fees and other related charges (Khatib, 2006). The feminist movement necessitated the need to open more theaters; the need to penetrate new territories with a low level of filming, allowing national film producers and filmmakers in Arab world to increase their market share while reinforcing cultural diversity.

Markedly, most films created at present are targeting large market consumption, precisely the youths across the globe. According to Khatib (2006), the feminist movement’s contribution to the film industry in the Arab world was a measure of audience preference that made screen play necessary, timely, and commonsensical. To create a more robust film industry, participants in the film industry seeks information on several most popular features of the society and put it in films or screen play. Moreover, the quantity of animated discharges planned to highlight the plight of women was substantial. Along with preludes, adaptations, and sequels, the movie industry cashed in significantly. The importance and rise of 3D films is also evident during the history and evolution of feminist movement (Khatib, 2006). The Arab film production continued to grow to give cover of the unfolding events and inform the outside world of the nature of the movement. Throughout this time, several Arabian nations created professional feature movies for dramatic release to the market, with greater numbers of feature movies being created annually.

Specific trends in the Arabic cinema market across the world

In order to analyze and evaluate the specific trends in the Arab film industry and cinema market in the Middle East, Asia, America, and Europe, two case studies explore this phenomenon (Khatib, 2006). One comparing film markets in America or Europe to that of Middle East, and the other focusing on the Arab markets alone. The first scenario reveals how the lively Arabian market is daring the American or European market as the principal movie market in the context of feminist movement. The second case study explores that the Arab film sector is not necessarily homogenous; however, it is being led by two countries, making the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to enter into the world top market during the feminist movement, while other nations of the Arab world either lack screens or have small production units (Darity, 2008). Remarkably, communal guidelines as well as backing of the film industry in the Arab world have also greatly swayed the infrastructure development of the Arabian film industry.

One of the reasons for the sharp increase in the number of cinema admissions in the Arab world has been the prodigious growth of its economy necessitated by the success of the feminist movement (Shafik, 2007). According to Darity (2008), the increase in the standard of living and disposable incomes of the middle-class in the Middle East nations are all features of the feminist movement, which have in one way or the other pioneered the growth of the film industry in the Arab world. It is no doubt that feminist movement gave birth to a new breed of society characterized by education and ambience. These new breeds of citizens could now afford to go to the cinema or buy the films to enjoy both the Arabic and foreign films (Khatib, 2006). The progress of the Arabic society in these forms has spurred the continual and rapid construction of theatres in the Arab world (Taylor & Whittier, 2007). Thanks to new technologies and new trends in cinema, the industry can increase its activities and ways of exploiting the intellectual property rights that feminist movement orchestrated. The progress in filmmaking drastically generated new related film making aspects, such as digitalization, the 3D, animations, special sound effects, editing software, and new forms of film marketing. Consequently, with the increased need to produce films in bulk to satisfy various audiences, the number of companies and economic actors linked to the sector increased (Hammond, 2005). This increase further opened up opportunities for repositioning some links in the film industry’s chain, and allowed new industries and players to sprout. Many Arab countries saw the opportunity to participate in an activity that previously was concentrated in one country or region, thereby extending the wave of filmmaking in the Arab world.

The nature of the film industry

The global film industry is structured as an oligopoly, in which a small group of large companies heads the production and distribution of films (Hammond, 2005). Nevertheless, in some activities and niches the barriers for entry are low, which allows a large number of independent, smaller companies to participate in each activity in the industry (The Arab human development report 2005: Towards the rise of women in the Arab world, 2006). With the contribution of feminist movement, the Arab film industry is currently undergoing important changes due to technological developments and new business strategies brought about by these developments. The changes brought about by technological advancements have further escalated the progress of the Arab film industry. The most significant among these include films launch as well as attendance patterns in the Arab world. Given the large number of films premieres in the Arab world annually, including the growing number of screens, the number of seats set in place is generally greater than the potential audience. In addition, innovative films together with those that are not supported by major distribution chains tend to make a big effort to reach their potential audience (Darity, 2008).

The application of modern professional digital equipment that was accessible at lower prices allowed for a reduction in costs and production of filmmaking (Taylor & Whittier, 2007). Moreover, the reduction in cost for making and shortening of the duration of production of digital copies helped independent producers to distribute their films with preferential ease. Finally, access to new, low-cost, as well as high quality filming technologies, and equipment together with software for editing has lowered the barriers for entry to independent, low-budget film producers in the Arab world (The Arab human development report 2005: Towards the rise of women in the Arab world, 2006). The growth of the Arab film industry has also been characteristic of the transition towards digital migration and the diffusion of information and communication technologies much of which are attributed to the success of feminist movement. Under these schemes, new forms of technologies such as the Internet and cell phones continue to facilitate and expand the production and diffusion of films in the Arab world.

Conclusion

Feminine movement in the Arab world has brought profound progress in all spheres of the society. In the quest for greater appeal, the Arab women turned to media as a means for their empowerment, as well as a medium for education that in an effort to overcome barriers of distance and time. The mass media offered a tool to the feminist movement to advance their progress in the development of their communities. In the Arab world, new information technologies allowed women to be seen as equal to men in their ability to investigate, discuss, report, and present concerns on various issues challenging the society. Through the media, the women movement facilitated links and networks for their ilk to interact effectively with the outside world and share information and resources with preferential ease. Moreover, the feminist movements in the Arab world were increasingly using the electronic media to enhance their advocacy, build solid and stronger societies. No doubt, while rapid growth of technology enhanced the presence of women in the Arab media, the escalation of feminist movement in the Arab world led to an increase in the availability and display of information about women before the public opinion, hence the growth of the film industry. Whichever way, feminine movement in the Arab world and mass media complemented one another to produce the modern day celebrated film industry in the Arab film industry. As the feminine movement gained greater grounds in the Arab world, there was need for journalistic reportage, which further enhanced the progression in filmmaking. Finally, with the increased need to preserve on the rich history of women’s quest for greater recognition, there was need by the media to preserve and uphold the unfolding events in films and screenplays.

References

Darity, W. (2008). International encyclopedia of the social sciences (2^nd ed.). Detroit, Mich.: Macmillan Reference USA.

Hammond, A. (2005). Pop culture Arab world! media, arts, and lifestyle. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO.

Khatib, L. (2006). Filming the modern Middle East politics in the cinemas of Hollywood and the Arab world. London: I.B. Tauris.

MacKenzie, S. (2014). Film manifestos and global cinema cultures: A critical anthology. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Sabry, T. (2012). Arab cultural studies mapping the field. London: I.B. Tauris.

Taylor, V., & Whittier, N. (2007). Feminist frontiers (7^th ed.). Boston: McGraw-HIll.

The Arab human development report 2005: Towards the rise of women in the Arab world. (2006). New York: United Nations Development Program, Regional Bureau for Arab States.

Shafik, V. (2007). Arab cinema: History and cultural identity. Cairo, Egypt: The American University in Cairo Press.

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