Titled “السينما تغزو البلاد العربية” (Cinema Invades the Arab Countries), a 1965-57 Al-Kawakib issue selected spread projects a map of the Arab world with red dotted lines pinning countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, etc. This visual is accompanied by distribution figures documenting the wide reach of Egyptian cinema across the region.

Egyptian state media and Egypt’s popular film industry anchor Cairo and Beirut as critical hubs; the Mediterranean sea was a middle ground for this migratory audience.

Beirut, The Middle East, Lebanon

The Mediterranean