Almost by the force of her sheer will and passion, Butheina has turned what was once a makeshift pop-up theatre into the preeminent arthouse cinema in the UAE with permanent home in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue. If Cinema Akil were a person, she told Time Out, it would be the flamboyant, original and fearless British designer Vivienne Westwood. With the attention has come more exclusive films and a reputation as one of the strongest homes for independent cinema in the Arab world.