Shaping the future of CIS Media: Key insights from the ‘Culture.Media.Digital’ forum

On November 6–7, 2025, the second Culture.Media.Digital Forum took place in Moscow at the MosKino Film Factory, bringing together leaders from the media market, tech sector, arts, cinema, blogging, and broader creative industries. The event attracted over 8,000 attendees and featured more than 160 speakers from 20+ countries — including media executives, film directors, producers, journalists, bloggers, musicians, IT specialists, and representatives of digital platforms, streaming services, and government institutions.

The central theme of the 2025 forum was the growth potential of the CIS media market and the integration of the region’s cultural and digital ecosystems, which together reach a combined audience of over 350 million Russian-speaking users. Discussions included experts from Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, alongside creative industry leaders from Russia. Key topics covered the development of localized AI tools, creation of regional distribution platforms, standardisation of content metrics and procurement models, and new strategies for content monetisation.

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The forum also highlighted increasing cooperation between the CIS and MENA regions, reflecting shared ambitions in media innovation and cross-border production. Among the MENA participants were Firas Deni, Director of Physical Production for Scripted Content at MBC Studios (Saudi Arabia); Aisha Al-Ameri, Head of Post-Production at Abu Dhabi Media Network (UAE); Madonna Khafaja, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Whitebee Media (Dubai); and Ahmed Farag, Regional Executive Director at Global Business Alliances (Egypt). Their contributions illustrated how the Middle East’s fast-evolving film, broadcast, and post-production sectors — shaped by multilingual audiences and robust digital infrastructure are increasingly aligning with the CIS region’s efforts to establish unified creative and technical standards.

Forum’s business agenda: Turning ideas into action

The business agenda featured six thematic tracks bridging culture, technology, media, and business: Media Network, Influencers, Technomagic, Art Resource, PRology, and Kinofield. Over two days, the program hosted more than 50 events — including sessions, panel discussions, and presentations with speakers from over 20 countries such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, the UK, Iran, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Romania, the UAE, and India.

The forum opened with the plenary session “CIS Media Market: Infrastructure, Content, Cooperation,” where representatives of major media holdings, MosKino Film Factory, streaming platforms, and IT companies discussed the future of media and content development across the CIS. The conversation explored emerging media formats in 2025, platform requirements, and best practices for releasing content across the region.

Day two featured the plenary “Scaling Content: Tools and Standards Across the CIS,” which focused on challenges in content adaptation and release unification. Speakers discussed barriers such as varying legal frameworks, localization requirements, and moderation policies. Participants included Ilkin Mahammadli, producer and member of the Association of Film Commissioners International (Azerbaijan), and Firas Deni of MBC Studios (Saudi Arabia), who expressed interest in collaborating with Russian counterparts and exploring Russia’s film incentive program.
“This could become a bridge between Russia, the CIS, and the Arab world. We are looking for partners everywhere,” Deni noted.

Aisha Al-Ameri of Abu Dhabi Media Network also shared insights from the UAE’s dynamic broadcast and post-production sector, emphasizing the need to harmonize workflows and moderation standards. Her remarks underscored how MENA’s experience with multilingual production and cross-border licensing could inform the CIS’s efforts toward creative and technical unification.

International headliners

The forum’s business program welcomed several global cinema icons.
The session “Series Over Scenes: How Streaming Rewrote the Film Market” featured French cinematographer Michel Amathieu, known for collaborations with Jan Kounen, Emir Kusturica, and Agnieszka Holland, and for projects such as Dobermann, Blueberry, Versailles, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Amathieu discussed how streaming reshaped audience behavior — turning cinema from an event into a continuous content experience.

Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, a three-time Academy Award winner for Apocalypse Now (1979), Reds (1981), and The Last Emperor (1987), also took part in an open session, sharing reflections on visual storytelling and the evolution of film aesthetics.

Madonna Khafaja, co-founder and managing director of Whitebee Media (Dubai), explored the transformation of traditional broadcasting in the digital age. She outlined how Dubai’s media ecosystem, blending national broadcasters, OTT platforms, and influencer-led studios is redefining the balance between linear programming and on-demand content, positioning the UAE as a leader in hybrid content models.

On November 7, the TechSorcery track hosted “Lights. Camera. Question: An Interview with Morandi” featuring Andrei Ropcea, frontman of the Romanian duo Morandi, known for hits such as Angels (Love Is the Answer) and Save Me. The conversation was moderated by Russian actress and TV host Avrora (Irina Yudina).

Forum’s new formats

Beyond discussions, the forum offered engaging experiences such as a retro gaming zone styled after the 1980s and ’90s, featuring original Sega and PlayStation 1 consoles with classics like Pac-Man, Battle City, and Mortal Kombat. The nostalgic setup — complete with vintage furniture, tube TV, and neon décor proved to be a crowd favorite.
A literary corner showcased books from Ad Marginem, Chitai-Gorod, Eksmo, and MIF publishers, offering curated titles on culture, media, and design alongside author meet-and-greets.

Over two days, four autograph sessions were held featuring well-known media personalities such as Olga Parfenyuk, Roza Syabitova, Garik Martirosyan, and Elena Letuchaya, drawing enthusiastic audiences.

Forum outcomes and significance

The international Culture.Media.Digital Forum reaffirmed its role as a key professional platform uniting experts, creators, and innovators. Organizers emphasised the growing interest in cross-industry cooperation and the continued development of the CIS media ecosystem. The event not only inspired dialogue but also led to new partnerships, pilot initiatives, and tangible projects, demonstrating that the forum is increasingly where ideas evolve into actionable opportunities.