Cinema Akil
Native name | سينما عقيل |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment (movie theater) |
| Genre | Art Film |
| Founded | June 24, 2014 |
| Founder | Butheina Kazim |
| Headquarters | Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, , |
Number of locations | 2 |
| Website | cinemaakil |
Cinema Akil (Arabic: سينما عقيل) is an independent arthouse cinema located in Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Founded in 2014 by Butheina Kazim, it is the first arthouse cinema in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Cinema Akil specializes in screening independent, classic, and world cinema, with a curatorial focus on films that are not typically distributed in the commercial cinema circuit of the Middle East. It operates a flagship location in Alserkal Avenue, a satellite venue at 25hours Hotel One Central, and has hosted pop-up screenings across the Middle East, including in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The cinema also serves as the main venue for regional film festivals such as Reel Palestine, Arab Cinema Week, and the FrancoFilm Festival.
Cinema Akil is a member of the Network of Arab Alternative Screens (NAAS), International Confederation of Art Cinemas (CICAE), International Documentary Association (IDA), and the Programmers of Colour Collective (POC2).