Business Today Egypt | October – November 2023, Special Edition

Cinema
By Nouran Allam
The Egyptian entertainment industry
encompasses various forms of media,
including film, cinema, theater,
music, television and radio. Those
play a significant role in shaping the cultural
landscape of Egypt and in spreading ideas and
promoting the nation’s culture. Not only does
the soft power shape the way Egypt’s culture
is protrayed to the world, it also contributes
significantly to its economy.
Known as the “Hollywood of the Middle
East,” Egypt’s cinema industry is one of the
oldest and largest in the Arab world. According
to the Golden Globe Awards website, Egyptian
cinema was born in 1896 when the Lumière
Brothers screened a short film in Alexandria,
only a year after its premiere in France. Since
then, over 4,000 films have been produced in
Egypt.
“Egypt has been used as a film location for
major international productions, thanks to its
unparalleled historic heritage sites, including
the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, the
Valley of the Kings, and the Tombs of the Nobles.
Among international blockbusters filmed
in Egypt are Transformers: Revenge of the
Fallen and Malcolm X,” UNESCO’s book The
African Film Industry: trends, challenges, and
opportunities, reveals.
Hence, it is no surprise that the entertainment
industry in Egypt contributes significantly
to the economy. Film revenues in the
2023 summer season exceeded EGP 282 million
from more than 10 Egyptian and foreign
films at about 500 movie theaters. Local media
reports also showed that in 2022, the entertainment
industry contributed an estimated
EGP 36 billion to the Egyptian economy, accounting
for around 1% of the gross domestic
product (GDP).
UNESCO’s book reports that the film and
audiovisual industry in Africa has the potential
to create over 20 million jobs and generate
$20 billion in revenues per
year.
The Egyptian theater
is also an in-
36 November 2023 www.businesstodayegypt.com