Dubai: The Dubai Media Council will put the film and gaming industries at the centre of the Arab Media Summit 2026, through 2 dedicated forums organised by the Dubai Films and Games Commission, convening the people who make, fund and publish both industries across the region and the world.
The Summit runs from 15 to 17 September under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Media Council.
The Council’s participation this year is built around a single question: how does media creativity in film and gaming move from content that is consumed to an economy that is built? The answer starts in Dubai, where global studios and platforms choose the city for the speed of its processes, its infrastructure and its access to markets, not for cost factors alone.
The world works from Dubai
Her Excellency Nehal Badri, Secretary General of the Dubai Media Council, said: “Dubai is no longer just a backdrop. It is the city the industry works from: films are produced here, games are launched here and content streams from here to the world. What draws studios and platforms to Dubai is speed, infrastructure and access to markets, and what the emirate is choosing to own is content, intellectual property and talent, the capital of its next economy.”
She added: “The Arab Media Summit is where that ambition meets the people who will deliver it: media leaders, creators and investors from across the region and the world. The 2 dedicated forums place film and gaming at the heart of the Arab media conversation, not on its margins.”
The shortest route from idea to screen
Hesham Al Olama, CEO of the Media Development Sector at the Dubai Media Council, said: “We are bringing the industry conversation to the people it belongs to: producers, directors, game developers, publishers and investors, meeting in Dubai to turn co production, investment and interactive technology into real projects. Our goal is that a filmmaker or a game developer finds in Dubai the shortest route from idea to screen, and from studio to global markets.”
Two forums, in the industry’s own language
The Games Forum will explore the future of the games sector, including investment and growth opportunities, content, talent development, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies. It will also highlight Dubai’s potential as a centre for game development and production, supported by its digital infrastructure and business environment.
The Films Forum will bring together filmmakers, directors, producers, screenwriters and industry experts to discuss the future of film and television production. Discussions will cover co-production, investment, talent development, digital platforms and the impact of artificial intelligence across filmmaking.
An Arab platform with global reach
The Arab Media Summit 2026 is expected to attract around 10,000 media professionals and industry stakeholders, with more than 400 speakers from the region and the world taking part in over 175 sessions examining the future of media and the technological, economic and social shifts shaping the industry.
