From Artsy-Fartsy to Commercial Screening!

The Calgary Arab Arts & Culture Society, CAACS, was founded by liberal artists, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts aiming for a better representation of a community among the most educated in Canada. The objective of initiating a conversation about the complexities behind the term “Arab” has developed over the years to use many artistic expressions. Starting with “artsy” features to “artsy” documentaries, to “artsy” shorts, CAACS entered the arena of stand up comedies, speaker series, visual arts, and theatre. While doing so, there was an interesting development that entered the Canadian artistic arena, namely commercial feature films hitting Canadian cinema theatres.

Over the past few years, a Syrian member of the committee organizing the Toronto Arab Film Festival decided to purchase the screening rights of Arab commercial films and play them across the nation. He brought to the cinema theatres in different Canadian cities films that appealed to the Arab communities. That happened simultaneously with Covid lockdowns, which brought to CAACS the realization that the target demographics are changing in preferences and that requires a strategic shift.

That encouraged CAACS to bring to its 9th copy of the Calgary Arab Film Nights Festival, for the first time, an Egyptian comedy, and increase the reach to go beyond Calgary, even Alberta, through online streaming.

After Covid subsided, the new development continued with more expansion. The new company bringing commercial films developed its business model to partner with national cinema theatres who would play their movies nationwide. It didn’t stop there. The same cinema partnered with another Arab competitor coming from the neighbors to the south, the US, bringing more movies, bringing nostalgic diversity to the Arabia speaking community across Canada.

Although that puts a bit of strain on the artsy offerings of the Calgary Arab Nights Film Festival, CAACS believes this diversity is needed for the Arabic community. CAACS, believing in diversity, also believes in the objective of driving the conversation forward through diversification of the art forms; the speakers who comment and debate to give the non-Arabic viewers the needed context for better understanding; and the disruptive nature of the arts that initiates a debate leads to a new way of thinking about the status quo.

So, with CAACS at the center of the Arab artistic transformation in Canada, Arabs are also at the center of an artistic evolution that drives lots of conversations forward.

Written October 1, 2023