Egyptian Screenwriter Mariam Naoum on the Struggle for Arab Series to Find Buyers: ‘We’re Suffocating Inside’

Egyptian screenwriter and producer Mariam Naoum says Arab television has plenty of creative talent, but writers lack the time, development support and routes to buyers needed to build sustainable careers. As head of El Gouna Film Festival’s new CineGouna Series programme, she aims to help projects develop and reach the market, while warning that the region’s limited number of streaming platforms cannot buy everything being made.

The programme’s first six-week lab supported six projects, each developing a series bible and pilot before pitching to industry figures at the festival. Naoum says the Arab world has perhaps three or four platforms and argues that projects need access to buyers beyond the region, including diaspora audiences. Other industry figures cited cautious commissioning linked to limited competition, piracy and weak rights protection, while noting that streaming can help series find audiences long after their initial release.