Cinema isn’t just entertainment; it’s an infrastructure for identity. In this BaytCast episode, Butheina Kazim, the visionary behind Cinema Akil and Reel Palestine, joins Rabea Ataya for an unfiltered conversation on the art (and hustle) of building cultural spaces that outlast trends. They dive into memory, identity, and cultural entrepreneurship—from repurposing a single screen into a movement, to shaping policies that could power the next generation of Arab cinema.Learn about designing human-scale spaces in a hyper-modern city, the startup mindset behind art initiatives, why underrepresented films matter “one audience at a time,” and the policy levers (visas, rebates, distribution) needed to unlock a real film ecosystem.🔔 Never miss an episode! We’ve got fresh, unfiltered conversations dropping every other week with the HR innovators and career champions you won’t hear anywhere else. Subscribe to BaytCast and ring the bell so you’re always in the room: https://www.youtube.com/@Baytcom?sub_confirmation=1🎧 Listen on:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7sTLIVz8cTQBgCqSdxrZLb?Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4jJu4wmAnghami: https://open.anghami.com/x3F7yekycTb

00:00 – Intro03:00 – Belonging through stories, not artifacts06:06 – Designing a cinema as shelter, not spectacle14:07 – Melting pot, mosaic… or lava lamp?21:05 – Startup mindset for arts: test fast, stay lean26:09 – Storytelling as currency in the age of AI32:06 – Why underrepresented films must be on big screens36:44 – Fighting erasure & reclaiming narratives44:01 – Opening Cinema Akil, and scaling the festival54:01 – What a film ecosystem needs#BaytCast #CinemaAkil #ReelPalestine #DubaiCulture #IndependentCinema #Storytelling #CreativeEconomy #MENA #ArtHouseCinema #Placemaking