From Iraqi thrillers to Egyptian dramas, Arab filmmakers have increasingly gained global recognition, with Arab cinema reaching new heights at major festivals and during awards season in recent years.
In September alone, The Voice of Hind Rajab, by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The film not only won the Silver Lion Jury Prize but also received a standing ovation lasting more than 23 minutes — the longest in the festival’s history.
At the same festival, Palestine 36, by Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir, premiered to a 10-minute standing ovation. Although it did not win an award, its reception reflected the growing appreciation for Arab cinema on the world stage.
Meanwhile, Lebanese director Cyril Aris’s A Sad and Beautiful World, a feature-length fiction film, was awarded the Audience Award at the Venice Film Festival, further highlighting the impact of Arab filmmakers this year.
Looking beyond the festival circuit, Arab talent is also making its mark on mainstream streaming platforms. Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor Mohammed Amer’s comedy-drama series Mo paved the way — and now, Netflix’s House of Guinness is emerging as this week’s most talked-about release.
Telling the story of the most pivotal moment in the Guinness empire, the eight-part series begins with the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness in 1868 and the chaos that followed the reading of his will — a moment that triggered a fiery family battle over the future of the world’s most famous stout — with the first five episodes directed by British filmmaker Tom Shankland and the final three by Lebanese director, actress, and screenwriter Mounia Akl.
The New Arab caught up with Mounia Akl to discuss her experience directing the series:
Telling stories that matter
“I feel proud. My love for storytelling was born in Lebanon, and a lot of my strengths come from growing up in a place like Lebanon,” says Mounia when asked what it means to her to be a Lebanese filmmaker in an industry that is still largely Western-dominated.
“I just feel proud to be telling stories, to be doing what I love and working hard, and to have also met people who have been interested in my work through the work I’ve made in Lebanon. That is very important to me. I think there are so many exciting Arab voices in the industry, and I am very proud to be one of them."
Naturally, this passion influenced how Mounia approached directing House of Guinness, as she sought to bring her personal experiences and perspectives into every part of the creative direction.
“When I take on a project I didn’t write, I always try to find a way to make it personal,” she explains.
“For House of Guinness, I drew on my love for stories about dysfunctional families and my understanding of how political tensions often play out within family relationships. As a woman, I’m also interested in telling subjective stories that reflect the full female experience of living in a patriarchal society. That shows in the series. I also wanted to explore mental health visually — showing a character’s inner world through the camera.
“These are the elements I love to bring to my filmmaking: creating experiences that feel personal and give space for the characters’ stories to unfold.”
Another influence that shaped her direction was her identity as a Lebanese woman — a perspective that she says naturally fed into the development of the show’s characters.
“For me, as a Lebanese woman, I think the strength I have comes from the pain and love I have for my country,” she says. “That complexity helps me understand people who have complicated relationships with their home and families.”
Creative partnerships were also key to shaping the visual and emotional tone of House of Guinness, with Mounia highlighting her long-standing collaboration with Lebanese cinematographer Joe Saade as central to the project’s success.
“Our creative partnership is really important. Having him with me on House of Guinness was special because we could transpose our vision and create something new. Ultimately, we tried to build intimacy in large-scale settings and create politics in intimate spaces.”
Looking back on the production, Mounia emphasises that one of the most powerful aspects of the project was the opportunity to explore the little-known but strong connection between Ireland and Lebanon — especially through their shared histories of anti-colonial resistance and the struggle for freedom in the face of oppression.
Looking ahead
Like any production, there are challenges, and for Mounia, the biggest she has faced in her career was navigating the aftermath of the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
Despite this obstacle, she notes, “I am lucky to be working with people who make me feel very heard, give me a lot of creative freedom, and who respect my voice as a filmmaker.”
In sharing this, Mounia reflects on her hopes for her work and legacy — especially after directing House of Guinness — saying, “My dream is to use my work to bear witness to a chapter in time — to contribute to an archive of filmmaking that helps tell the story of our planet. I hope everything I create reflects a sense of time, place, and generation. I want there to be a clear through line across my projects — one that shows I’ve always stayed true to myself and never sold out or lost that connection to my work.
“Moreover, I hope cinema remains a way for me to ask important questions, stay authentic, and build a growing creative family. With each project, I want to carry old friends with me and make new ones — staying loyal to the people who’ve been there from the beginning.”
In the meantime, as Mounia looks ahead to realising these hopes, she offers one piece of advice to any young filmmaker from the region who might be wondering what they can learn from her journey: “It's important to just keep going. It’s an industry where you need to stay passionate, especially when it’s hard to keep faith — because it can feel so unfair and even violent at times," she says.
“I’ve surrounded myself with people who feel like home — people I trust, including family. I make sure to stay away from those who are competitively toxic or act like sharks. I try not to get too bogged down, and most importantly, I work hard to set aside time for writing — away from the chaos. I stick to a writing schedule that helps me stay connected to stories. And, quite frankly, I avoid people who are a**holes.”
All eight episodes of House of Guinness will be released on 25 September, and A Sad and Beautiful World, starring Mounia, will be screened at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 October.
Zainab Mehdi is The New Arab's Associate Editor and researcher specialising in governance, development, and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa region
Follow her on Instagram: @zaiamehdi_/@zainabmehdiwrites_