Mona Al Sabban

Speaking of her view of Egyptian cinema in 2019 Al Saddan said "Cinema is a mirror of society. The collapse in Egyptian cinema is the result of the collapse in Egyptian society. Therefore, we are not surprised by the cinematic deterioration in Egypt.".^[6]

One reason for the establishment of the online school was Al Sabban's realisation not all potential students could travel to the Cairo Higher Institute of Cinema for study.^[7] Al Sabbah notes the trigger for the idea related to her preparing a working paper on "Film education on the Internet" at a conference in held at American University of Beirut in November 1999 with the theme "“Distance Education for Media.”^[4][8] From that conference Al Sabban says she was encouraged to set up the school. The project was presented to the Egyptian Cultural Development Fund, who approved the project in July 2001.^[4] The school was opened by Suzanne Mubarak in October 2001.^[4]

The operation of the school is via free online study from content on the website for those who register.^[9]There is no gender, religious, or educational barriers to prospective students.^[9] Online examinations are held quarterly in the topics of script, directing, photography, montage, and sound.^[9]

In 2006 Al Sabban explained that many of the students at that time had practical experience of cinematography but lacked the theoretical background.^[4] For those that lacked practical experience but had passed the exams the school was attempting to organize workshops to be available in several Arab centres.^[4]

• Al Loubani, Salwa (2 December 2006). "الصبان: نستخدم سبيل قيتباي لتعليم فن السينما" [Al-Sabban: We use Sabil Qitbay to teach the art of cinema]. @Elaph (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 26 May 2020.
• Al Sabban, Mona (7 September 2020). المدرسة العربية للسينما والتليفزيون [The Arab School for Film and Television]. arabfilmtvschool. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
• Al-Masry Al-Youm (1 June 2021). "راجح داود وسلوى بكر والمنسي قنديل يفوزون بجائزة الدولة التقديرية (الأسماء الكاملة)" (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 July 2021.
• Monte Carlo Doualiya (2019). "Mona Al-Sabban, Director of the Arab School of Film and Television: I have 80,000 students from all over the world". mc-doualiya (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
• ONA (7 November 2013). "The Film and Television School is the first Egyptian website to award a certificate specializing in cinema, "a news agency website ona" (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 14 February 2019.
• Musa, Basant; Samir, Teresa (4 June 2015). "الأقباط متحدون - د. منى الصبان تكشف كواليس إنشاء مدرسة للسينما عبر الإنترنت" [Dr. Mona Al-Sabban reveals the scenes of establishing an online film school]. www.copts-united.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 14 February 2019.
• Saleh, Sherif (27 October 2010). "Mona Al-Sabban: The Arab Film School ... the most important dream in my life". An-Nahar (in Arabic). No. 1082. Lebanon. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019.
• Shehab, Ashraf (14 May 2005). "د. منى الصبان: لدينا استوديوهات تضاهى استوديوهات هوليوود - ديوان العرب" [Dr. Mona Al Sabban — We have studios that are as good as Hollywood Studios]. www.diwanalarab.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 14 February 2019.
• Staff; Al Sabban, Mona (24 March 2006). "منى الصبان: 15 ألف دارس من جميع أنحاء العالم وفي مقدمتهم المصريون والسعوديون," [Mona Al-Sabban: 15,000 students from all over the world, led by Egyptians and Saudis]. Asharq Al-Awsat (in Arabic). London: Saudi Research and Media Group. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020.