Libya's capital Tripoli was once home to a flourishing cinema scene. But the dictatorship by Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan civil war led to the disappearance of all cinemas and filmmaking in the city. One director is trying to change that.

Tripoli

Libyan director and producer Mouyad Zabdia has built a unique film studio in his family home in Tripoli to help revive the country's nearly vanished cinema industry. Facing a lack of commercial market, funding, and public interest—exacerbated by years of instability—Zabdia has self-funded his projects and seeks to highlight Libyan creativity in film.

Authorities have recently taken steps to support the sector, including the creation of the Libyan Film Institute in 2021 and organizing festivals. Zabdia hopes these efforts will lead to a resurgence of Libyan cinema and greater international recognition for local talent.

The filmmaker who fights for the return of cinema to Libya

This film studio is one of a kind. Libyan director and producer Mouyad Zabdia built it in his own family home in Tripoli. For the filmmaker, it is one way to overcome the obstacles he faces in a country where cinema once nearly vanished. I aim to showcase Libyan creativity and highlight the talent and skills of Libyans across acting, directing, sound, make-up and all other artistic fields. My goal is for international audiences to discover them, bringing local productions to global recognition. Zabdia, who wanted to become a filmmaker since early childhood, has so far had to fund his projects by himself, made possible by money he earns from a production company for TV series and wedding videos. From a commercial perspective of course, cinema in Libya, as in most Arab countries, does not have a market nor the revenues that a single theatrical release can generate. We have observed that with the development of new platforms, we could take a risk and invest heavily in a film project. For a long time, the cinema production sector faced disinterest from public institutions and a lack of funding. The country's instability after the civil war didn't help. Cinema, both as an industry and as a physical place where to watch films, has not been a priority. I hope this sector develops in Libya. It is very uncommon here. We don't even have theatres. Sometimes one has to travel abroad to watch films in theatres. Most of us watch them on television. As a people, as a community, our cinematic culture is limited. We Libyans don't have films because we haven't produced any. I consider what we are doing as an achievement. That's what motivated me. Authorities have in recent years attempted to revive the art form through festivals and in 2021, the Libyan Film Institute was created. It's a first step towards the long-awaited return of Libya's cinema scene.

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