The Dubai Media Council has announced that film and gaming will anchor the Arab Media Summit 2026, with two dedicated forums organised by the Dubai Films and Games Commission running alongside the main event.
The summit takes place from 15 to 17 September under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
“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. 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,” Nehal Badri, Secretary General of the Dubai Media Council said in a statement.
“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,” Hesham Al Olama, CEO of the Media Development Sector at the Dubai Media Council added.
The underlying question driving the council’s participation this year, as it has framed it, is how media creativity moves from content that is consumed to an economy that is built.
The Games Forum will cover investment opportunities, talent development, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies, alongside Dubai’s positioning as a game development hub. The Films Forum will bring together filmmakers, directors, producers and screenwriters to discuss co-production, investment, digital platforms and the role of artificial intelligence in production.
The summit is expected to draw around 10,000 media professionals, with more than 400 speakers contributing to over 175 sessions.
