If there is one area that the Middle East needs to fast catch up in its bid to influence the global narrative, it’s the film industry.

Economic history is witness to the fact that the growth of a new sector within a country contributes to stronger macro fundamentals. But the ripples it casts are anything but linear.

While direct effects are most notable within the sector itself, such as increased demand for specialized jobs and related materials, each industry has its unique impact on the economy.

I am partially biased toward films, as I have been involved with Arabia Plus for the last few years. You could also say that I’ve chosen to invest my time and energy into this sector for a reason.

Suppose you examine the impact film has had on different nations. In that case, both from a quantitative and qualitative perspective, the larger ramifications for culture, economy, and national identity are impossible to ignore.

Clearly, the most notable case study is the United States. But just focusing on California – part of the 5th largest economy in the world, thanks in part to its capital in media – gives an even better understanding of how film can directly affect an economy.

In 2019 alone, the film industry contributed over $29.2 billion in wages to the state of California and over 134 thousand production-related and 90 thousand distribution-related jobs.

According to the Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS II), a tool used to measure economic impact on various projects, the industry contributed nearly 650,000 additional jobs, including induced and contingent effects on local businesses and vendors.

In other words, the ripple effect extends way beyond the industry itself, expanding into nearly every sector - from goods and labor to intellectual property.

However, a film is also a product within itself, and when it’s created on home soil, it becomes a national commodity.

A film presents a way of seeing things; it’s the production of meaning and holds the potential to share the narrative of an entire group of people. However, just like with any global market, the dominant shareholder is the one who controls the narrative.

While Hollywood has long since been the source of all significant, global storytelling, there has never been a better opportunity to reclaim lesser told, local narratives on a global scale.

While Western dominance in films has traditionally overlooked world cinema, emphasizing Western stories through film festivals and awards shows, technological advances, such as streaming services, allow for competitive new platforms, potentially evening the playing field.

It’s a home team advantage in more than one way. Not only are entire cultures now able to take control of their narratives within the film on a national level, but we now have the opportunity to do it on a global scale. And leaders within any sector know how important it is to have control over one’s narrative, like today, which can often be more critical than the business itself.

Another advantage the film world can offer any country is the adaptation and advancement of new technologies that, while often starting with film, extend to improving modes of communication across every sector. In a nutshell, it improves direct accessibility.

The concept of streaming media is quickly outpacing the traditional media distribution model, making it an urgent point of focus. Right now, there is a rare opportunity for a willing nation to stake a leading position within the global film industry. The Middle East experience has been mostly portrayed through western impressions, allowing for significant gaps, misrepresentation, and lost opportunities for authentic storytelling.

Having worked with so many remarkable Middle Eastern filmmakers, I find it’s crucial to have a centralized, accessible platform to share their stories. After all, the more control we have in telling our own stories, the more control we have over the direction of our future.

• Carla DiBello is a documentarian and founder and CEO of CDB Advisory, a bespoke consulting firm that bridges connections across private sectors throughout the Middle East and North America.

Twitter: @CarlaDiBello