More related content on the BRIDGE
- Technology Presentation 10 December 10:20 - 10:50AM
How To Tell Your Best Stories Ever
What happens when the ancient craft of storytelling collides with the most powerful creative tools ever built? A KAIRO Talk powered by Google, this presentation shows how AI expands creative possibilities while keeping storytelling fundamentally human. Through an AI-generated short film and a behind-the-scenes breakdown, the speakers show how ideas move from insight to strategy to fully realized worlds using today’s AI tools. Mood boards, characters, storyboards, and cinematic choices can now be created in minutes, yet still depend on human taste and imagination.
Academy Stage - Picture Workshop 8 December 12:15 - 2:15PM
From Idea to Story: Exploring Your Voice as a Screenwriter 1\2
Day 1 — Discovering the Idea and Building the Foundation Day 1 focuses on identifying strong story ideas and drawing inspiration from personal experiences, social issues, and real-life events. Participants engage in practical exercises to extract ideas from everyday life and start developing them into a dramatic premise. Includes group discussions and feedback from the instructor to refine initial concepts.
Workshop Room 2Speakers
- Media Panel 8 December 4:10 - 4:40PM
The Media Blueprint for a Healthier Society
Media has become the frontline for shaping how societies understand health, science, identity, and dignity. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim brings a scientific and geopolitical lens on public communication, while Betty Irabor brings cultural authority and lived experience in shaping media that heals rather than harms. The session explores how media systems—traditional and digital—can responsibly influence public mindset, support mental and cultural wellbeing, and create narratives that empower rather than stigmatize.
Impact Stage - Media Panel 9 December 10:55 - 11:15AM
Purpose Over Production: How Independent Media Wins Hearts
How do you build trust, loyalty, and influence without the machinery of a media empire? Faisal and Munairah share the story of Sard, an experiment turned movement built by a small team fueled by passion, creativity, and love for the craft. This session reveals how values and voice can outperform budgets and algorithms in shaping the Arab media narrative.
Impact StageSpeakers
Moderator
- Media Panel 10 December 12:20 - 12:40PM
Blueprints for Governing Digital Speech
During COVID-19, platforms struggled to balance curbing misinformation with protecting free expression, often failing at both and eroding public trust. A 2021 Pew Research study found that 60% of U.S. adults saw social media as a major source of false information, with 43% reporting encounters with significant misinformation. These failures reveal gaps in transparency and accountability. How can policy, technology, and platform leadership work together to protect truth and rights while ensuring transparency, inclusivity, and resilience?
Forum StageSpeakers
- Media Panel 8 December 3:10 - 3:40PM
How the Gulf and Africa Are Rewriting the Media Map
Africa and the Gulf are fast becoming two of the world’s most influential media hubs, building newsrooms, creator ecosystems, and digital platforms that reach hundreds of millions and increasingly shape global narratives. This session explores how broadcasters and digital-first operators across both regions scale coverage, expand cross-border bureaus, build culturally resonant formats, and grow loyal audiences in markets often misunderstood by global capital. We examine where international partners fit, how geopolitical context shapes storytelling, and how these rising hubs are redefining the media operating system of the Global South.
Impact StageSpeakers
