Behind the noticeable development in the Arab film industry over the past few years, are names that spend great efforts in order to boost the growth of Arab cinema. Therefore, it was natural for the Arab Cinema Center (ACC), which aims to promote the Arab film industry in international markets and support it in every possible way, to launch The 100 Most Important Names in the Arab Film Industry. A first-of-its-kind in the Arab world, the list by the ACC casts light on important names and film institutions whose influence supported the Arab film industry in the past few years. The list is featured in the eighth issue of the Arab Cinema Magazine that was released at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.

Check The 100 Most Important Names in the Arab Film Industry here:
http://acc.film/cannes-100.php

The 100 Most Important Names in the Arab Film Industry includes industry professionals that either represent themselves or entities they work for. The names were all chosen for their contributions to Arab-language cinema in the past twelve months, which is why Arab names who participated in international films/TV series are not on the list. They are ordered alphabetically by first names and grouped together alongside their immediate peers.

The list has been divided in groups as follows: 18 directors, 3 screenwriters, 3 supporters (from two entities), 15 actors/actresses (from 13 entities), 10 producers (from nine entities), 16 festival directors (from 12 entities), 17 distributors (from 10 entities), 8 platform directors (from six entities), 8 funders (from seven entities), 6 important names in Arab governmental film commissions (from three entities), 9 international sales agents (from seven entities), and 14 directors of film institutions (from 10 entities).

These names come from 13 Arab countries and 10 non-Arab countries. The biggest number of names came from Lebanon, 23 names, followed by the UAE (19), then Palestine (18) and Egypt (13). Female names on the list reached 32.

Organized by MAD Solutions in 2015, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes. The ACC also provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others. The Center's activities vary between film market main wings, introduction and networking sessions for Arab and foreign filmmakers, welcome parties, as well as meetings with international organizations and festivals, and the issuance of the Arab Cinema Magazine to be distributed at the leading international film festivals and markets.

Furthermore, newsletter subscription is now available on the ACC's website, allowing users to obtain digital copies of the Arab Cinema Magazine, as well as news on the ACC's activities, notifications of application dates for grants, festivals and offers from educational and training institutions, updates on Arab films participating at festivals, exclusive news on the Arab Cinema LAB, and highlights from the ACC partners and their future projects.

The ACC also launched an English-language Arab Cinema Guide, available on its website, which is a comprehensive cinematic guide that comprises a variety of tools presented collectively for the first time to offer information on Arab cinema to filmmakers inside and outside of the Arab world. It also aims to facilitate filmmakers' access to international markets and help film industry representatives to easily identify Arab film productions.