Egyptian screenwriter Mariam Naoum says Arab TV writers aren’t short on talent — they’re short on buyers. In a new Variety interview, the head of CineGouna Series put the region’s problem bluntly: “We’re suffocating inside,” as Arab series struggle to find the buyers and development pathways they need to survive.
Naoum, now leading El Gouna Film Festival’s first development program dedicated to television, argues the issue isn’t money alone — it’s time, development, and real routes to market for writing talent across the Arab world.
Mariam Naoum (Credits: Variety)
What CineGouna Series Is Trying to Fix
Naoum sees “no shortage of creative talent in Arab television,” but a missing middle: the time, development, and market access that let writers build lasting careers. As head of CineGouna Series, the newly launched television arm of the El Gouna Film Festival, she is trying to clear the obstacles standing in the way of Arab writing talent.
The initiative responds to the rapid expansion of the Middle East and North Africa’s streaming and television landscape. Six Arab series projects were selected for the inaugural 2026 edition out of 165 submissions, with participants going through a six-week online development lab of workshops, mentorship, and pitching preparation — before presenting at a series market during the festival itself.
“I’ll Choose Time and Marketing”
Asked what the industry needs most — time, money, or marketing — Naoum didn’t hesitate: “I’ll choose time and marketing.” Her point: even well-funded projects die without the development time to sharpen scripts and the marketing muscle to get them in front of broadcasters and platforms.
The quote captures a frustration felt across the region’s creative community: writers produce strong work, but without a specialized development ecosystem and genuine market access, series stall before they ever reach screens.
With streamers competing harder for MENA audiences, programs like CineGouna Series may be exactly the bridge the region’s writers need — if buyers show up.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
