The films are 6 features: Daughters of Abdul-Rahman by director Zaid Abu Hamdan, Farah by the two directors Hassiba Freiha & Kenton Oxley, Huda’s Salon by Hany Abu-Assad, I'll Go To Hell by Ismahane Lahmar, Soula by Salah Issaad, The Anger by Maria Ivanova Z., one documentary film I'm Not Lakit by Marie Surae, and the short film Bint Werdan by Maysaa Almumin.
About Daughters of Abdul-Rahman:
Years after escaping a dictated life, four estranged and offbeat sisters are forced to come together to find their suddenly-missing father. In their secret searching journey, secrets are revealed and more.
Written and directed by Zaid Abu Hamdan,Daughters Of Abdul-Rahman stars Saba Mubarak, Farah Bsieso, Hanan Hillo, Mariam Al Basha, and Khalid Al Tarifi, and features Dina Farouk as the film editor. It is produced by Pan East Media (Saba Mubarak & Aya Wuhoush), Lagoonie Film Production, Arab Media Network andWika For Film Production and Distribution. MAD Solutions handles the film’s distribution in the Arab world.
Previously, the film received multiple funds, including Doha Film Institute development fund, the Jordan Film Fund of the Royal Film Commission development and production funds, as well as a fund from CineGouna Platform (post production) at El Gouna Film Festival.
The film was also selected among the finalist projects at the Tribeca Film Festival - All Access program, and selected for RFC Rawi Screenwriters Lab.
About Farah:
When pre-med student, Lina, starts experiencing severe recurring nightmares, her life begins to fall apart. She is then sent home to Beirut, Lebanon where they prescribed her the controversial antidepressant ‘Xapa’ - also known in its illegal form as ‘Joy’ - to help her recover.
However, as Lina’s alarming nightmares continue to worsen and a link between them and her birth mother, Farah, becomes clear, she sets out on a quest to uncover a web of family secrets which will lead her to a shattering ultimate truth.
Written byHassiba Freiha who also directed it along withKenton Oxley, Farah stars Stephanie Atala, Majdi Machmouchi, Hassiba Freiha and Youssef Boulos. The film is shot by Elias Trad and edited by Marcus D’Arcy. MAD Solutions handles the film’s distribution across the Arab world.
About Huda’s Salon:
Based on real events, Huda’s Salon is a heart-racing, entertaining feminist thriller, where two women fight for their freedom. Reem, a young mother who is married to a jealous man, goes to Huda's salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear.
However, this ordinary visit turns sour after Huda puts Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her to work for the secret service of the occupiers, hence betraying her people.
The film landed its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival. Most recently, the film also witnessed its Arab world premiere at Red Sea International Film Festival, and screened at Reel Palestine Film Festival.
Written and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, Huda’s Salon stars Ali Suliman, Manal Awad and Maisa Abd Elhadi, and is produced by H&A Production (Hany Abu-Assad and Amira Diab), Film Clinic (Mohamed Hefzy) and co- produced by MAD Solutions (Maher Diab and Alaa Karkouti), and Lagoonie Film Production (Shahinaz El Akkad), while Daniel Ziskind of Film Clinic is the film’s co-producer.
The film is also co-produced by Key Films, Cocoon and Philistine Films. MEMENTO INTERNATIONAL handles worldwide distribution, while MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production handle the film’s distribution across the Arab world.
AboutI'll Go To Hell:
A Tunisian film by director Ismahane Lahmar that landed its world premiere at the Parallel Section (Views of Tunisian Cinema) of the Carthage Film Festival (JCC) in Tunisia.
The film project previously won a Color grading service presented by The Cell Post Production as well MAD Solutions award for distribution services in the Arab world at the 11th Malmo Arab Film Festival’s Market Forum in Sweden.
The film tells the story of Najet, whom the doctors say that she will die soon. Thus, she decides to take the rest of her life head-on, instead of giving in to self-pity.
Najet begins to organize for her big departure, as she doesn’t like to be buried in a white shroud and end up eaten by worms. However, her family opposes her wishes.
The film is written and directed by Ismahane Lahmar, who also stars in the film alongside Rashid Abdelhamid, Fatma Ben Saidane, and Slym Achour. MAD Solutions handles the film’s distribution across the Arab world.
About Soula:
Soula is about a single mother who has nowhere to go after her father threw her out of the family home. Trying to make it through the night with her baby, Soula ends up hopping from one car to another with a number of people.
Throughout a night full of unfortunate events along the roads of Algeria, Soula tries her best to change her destiny. Does fate have another saying?
Most recently, the film landed its world premiere at Red Sea International Film Festival. Written, directed and produced by Salah Issaad,Soula is co-written by Soula Bahri, whose life story inspired the director to turn it into a film and let Soula play the lead role.
The film is produced byIssaad Film Productions (the three brothers Taqi Eldin, Abdelghafour, andSalah Issaad), and starsSoula Bahri,Idir Benaibouche, andFranck Yvrai. MAD Solutions handles the film’s marketing and distribution in the Arab world.
About The Anger:
In post-war Lebanon, Ida, a young Lebanese girl, flees her small village and her alcoholic mother and goes to the big city. There, she starts dating a European man not knowing what is in store for her.
The Angerpreviously landed its world premiere at Carthage Film Festival (JCC). It is directed by Maria Ivanova Z., who co-wrote it with Olga Artemyeva, and stars Manal Issa, Aurélien Chaussade, Houssam Sabbah, and Julia Kassar.
MAD Solutions handles the film’s distribution in the Arab region and world-wide.
About I'm Not Lakit:
The film follows the story of Saleh, a man who lives in an old house in the mountains near the Lebanese city of Byblos. Saleh does not belong to a family or a religious sect, in a society where such criteria define a human being.
Worse, he lacks nationality and a passport, he even lacks the right to live his life as an ordinary citizen since he is labeled as a 'lakit' of unknown ancestry.. ‘I'm Not Lakit,’ written and directed by Maria Ivanova Z, is distributed throughout the Arab World by MAD Solutions.
About Bint Werdan:
Bint Werdan is a short Kuwaiti film that has landed its world premiere at Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden.
It also participated in a number of festivals, including Tampere Film Festival in Finland, Cinefantasy International Film Festival, where it won a Special Mention, Monsters Taranto Horror Film Festival in Italy, and Ajyal Film Festival in Qatar.
A woman with chronic depression struggles to keep up appearances in front of her colleagues at work.
A sudden horrific encounter with a dying cockroach in the office toilet soon develops into an absurd friendship, until she realizes its destructive effects on her life.
Written and directed by Maysaa Almumin, the film stars Enas El Fallal, Sedky Sakhr, and Sandy Sawiri.
MAD Solutions handles the film’s distribution.
