Cinepolis Local General Manager Spurs Women to Have Starring Role in Cinema Industry

Eman Mirza is proud to have a starring role in introducing the Middle East’s newest cinema brand to movie-lovers in her native Bahrain, neighbouring Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf region. 

As General Manager at Cinépolis first movie theatre in the Middle East at the Atrium Mall, Saar, in Bahrain, Eman is one of only a handful of women working at a senior or management level in the region’s cinema industry.  However, armed with a sense of determination and self-belief that’s on par with the heroines that grace Cinépolis’ 13 state-of-the-art screens, Eman is determined to blaze a trail and be an inspiration for females working in the industry.

Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8^th, the 35-year-old from Isa Town in Bahrain has a clear message for any woman who is considering a career in the industry: “Nothing is impossible, everything you need to accomplish your goals is already in you.  “To achieve your goal, you need to take the first step,” said Eman. “You could fall, and it could be hard, but never stop trying because one day you will achieve it.”

Eman said the traditional view of a female’s place in the workplace is rapidly changing as more and more women carve out successful careers for themselves in a variety of industries across the Middle East.

“Back when the power of masculinity was high and women were just housewives, there was a different attitude towards them working or trying to enter the workplace,” said Eman, adding that influential figures in the region, including members of Bahrain’s royal family, have been fully supportive of women’s right to work.

“Now we have more equality and you can see women leading and managing companies,” said Eman. “With the help and support of Sheikha Sabika Al Khalifa (the wife of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain) more attention and support has been given to Bahraini women, and Middle Eastern women in general, to impower them economically and socially.”

An international chain with roots in Mexico, Cinépolis prides itself on forging strong connections with the 16 countries it operates in.  With Bahrainis making up 47% of staff at Atrium Mall location, Cinépolis has quickly established itself as an important part of the community.

“We felt there was a great opportunity to serve the movie-going crowd in Saar Bahrain and be part of the community,” said Eman. “We have had great response from our guests and are looking forward to growing with the Bahraini community.”

Eman says her 17 years’ experience in retail in the region has equipped her with the skills she needs to work with staff and customers who come from different nationalities and cultures and have different needs and expectations.

“All my experiences are about customer satisfaction. Working in Cinépolis is about delivering the best customer service and my knowledge and skills help me to achieve this,” she said.

Being able to cater to regional tastes is a key area of focus for Cinépolis, which plans to build its cinema experience around family groups while also offering great service to individual guests.

“Cinema outings tend to be a social activity and as such we focus on groups of families and friends who want to enjoy their time together in a shared experience,” said Emam, who counts Bollywood hits among her favourite all-time movies.  

Over the years, Eman has overcome many obstacles in her career. However, a positive attitude has helped her to prevail and advance her professional life.  Eman hopes her determination to succeed will help to inspire her female staff in Bahrain and also encourage more women to pursue rewarding careers in the region’s cinema industry, particularly as Cinépolis rolls out plans to open new cinemas in Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia in the future.

“As humans we might not take the right decision nor right direction, and it could lead to a failure. However, we should think about failure in a positive way because there is no success without failure. Just remember, mistakes are a learning curve for us all,” said Eman. “This is how I started, and I never stopped dreaming.”

About Cinépolis  

Cinépolis was founded in Mexico in the city of Morelia, Michoacán in 1971. Today it has positioned itself as the world’s 4th largest movie theatre circuit, operating 652 cinema complexes, 5,707 screens and over 338 million guests across 16 countries worldwide. It was the first cinema exhibitor in the world to pioneer the concept of luxury movie theatres, establishing the first luxury theatre experience in 1999 in Mexico City. Cinépolis aspires to provide its guests with the best overall experience in film entertainment and employs a global workforce of more than 39,000 people to support its mission.

Cinépolis Global and Al Tayer Group, have created a joint venture under the name, Gulf Entertainment LLC, headquartered in Dubai. Cinépolis Gulf plans to continue the growth path by opening soon in Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

About Al Tayer

Al Tayer Group, a family enterprise established in 1979, operates leading, quality-focused businesses in various sectors including Automotive, Retail, Real Estate, Construction, Healthcare, Logistics, Engineering and Manufacturing.