How can the Arabic language thrive in the digital age; how are women reshaping storytelling across film and television; and can the digital restoration of manuscripts preserve lessons from past civilisations?
These are some of the cultural discussions that will be explored at the International Congress of Arabic and Creative Industries at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on Sunday and Monday.
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, the gathering will feature more than 100 speakers from across the region and beyond, including Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian comedian and actor Mo Amer, and Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki.
Here are six key sessions to check out. Entry is free with prior registration.
1. Her Narrative: Women Reimagining Arabic Creativity
Actress Hend Sabry, Jordanian filmmaker Tima Shomali and Bahraini-Emirati entrepreneur and cinema curator Butheina Kazim will look at how Arab women are reshaping cultural narratives across TV, film and digital platforms.
Sabry is one of the Arab world’s most recognisable actresses and cover of The National's inaugural issue of TN magazine, with acclaimed roles in Asmaa and The Blue Elephant.
Shomali is the director of Netflix’s AlRawabi School for Girls, while Kazim founded Cinema Akil, Dubai’s art house cinema and cultural hub. Together, they will examine the obstacles they faced along their respective professional journeys and the approaches that allowed their work to resonate across the region.
September 14, 11.15am
2. The Power of Personal Narrative in the Age of AI
Can original comedy content thrive in the age of artificial intelligence? Palestinian actor and comedian Mo Amer, star of the Netflix series Mo, will sit down with Egyptian technologist Mo Gawdat, former chief business officer of Google X and author of Solve for Happy. The session will look at how personal stories can cut through the algorithm.
September 14, 2.15pm
3. The Role of Creativity in Preserving Arabic Identity
Director Nadine Labaki and creative industry leader Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak will advocate for the role of creative industries in presenting Arabic culture and identity across the arts.
Labaki’s films, from Caramel to the Oscar-nominated Capernaum, combine artistic vision with social commentary. Al Mubarak, as chairwoman of Music Nation and Music City UAE, has worked to expand opportunities for local and independent musicians.
The session will look at how investing in talent and exporting Arabic creative content can keep the region’s identity visible across generations and borders.
3pm on Sunday, September 14
4. Arabic LLM: Can AI Adapt to the Wilds of Language?
This panel will examine the latest breakthroughs in Arabic large language models and the challenges that remain. Speakers include Nour Al Hassan of Arabic.AI, Hakim Hacid of the Technology Innovation Institute and Neha Sengupta of Inception (G42).
The session will look at Arabic’s linguistic complexity, from grammar to dialects, and ask whether human expertise is still needed to ensure that AI output remains accurate and culturally grounded.
September 15, 11am
5. Arabic Language and the Coming Shift
Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre chairman Ali Bin Tamim, linguist Hanada Taha Thomure and Google Mena’s Marwa Khost will trace the shifts between Modern Standard Arabic and regional dialects.
Bin Tamim, who also oversees the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, has been an advocate for promoting Arabic in education and publishing. Thomure is the endowed chair professor of Arabic language at Zayed University, while Khost was named in Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list for her work in communications.
Together, they will discuss what these linguistic changes mean for creative expression and everyday communication across the Arab world.
September 15, 2pm
6. Digitally Reframing the Past: Creative Explorations of Manuscript History
Zayed National Museum director Peter Magee, academic Bilal Orfali and calligrapher Esra Alhamal will explore what ancient manuscripts can reveal about past civilisations.
More than historical artefacts, the trio will show how the digital restoration of manuscripts provides clues about earlier societies while preserving traditions of learning and craft.
September 15, 3.30pm
