There is an assumption, amongst some mass communication scholars, that the import of western communications systems into non-western cultures promotes economic and cultural dependency and has a negative impact on local identity. This assumption is countered by scholars who subscribe to notions of ‘active audiences’ and who propose that cultural diversity and interpenetration are hallmarks of a modern global economy. Investigations of these positions amongst non-western audiences remain few and far between. This paper investigates the use and perception of ‘Hollywood’ films amongst contemporary, indigenous audiences of the Arabian Gulf, an area that has undergone rapid ‘modernisation’ and cultural transformation in the past fifty years.