Film Analyst Alaa Karkouti Presents the Future of Arab Cinema at Istanbul Film Festival

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Through the Activities Held by MAD Solutions and Arab Cinema Center

Film Analyst Alaa Karkouti Presents the Future of Arab Cinema at Istanbul Film Festival


Within the activities held by Arab Cinema Center (ACC) at international festivals and film markets, Film Analyst Alaa Karkouti took part in a discussion panel within the events of the 12th Meeting on the Bridge at the 36th Istanbul Film Festival (5 - 15 April). The discussion was titled "MAD Solutions and Arab Cinema Center: Where the Future of the Arab Film Industry Lies".

Karkouti's participation in the discussion panel came within his role as founder of the film distribution and marketing company MAD Solutions, which organizes Arab Cinema Center to promote the Arab film industry in international film festivals and markets. During the discussion, Karkouti presented the role of these two organizations in the fields of marketing, co-production, and promotion of Arab cinema.

Alaa Karkouti is a renowned Film Analyst, CEO of MAD Solutions and Founder of Arab Cinema Center (ACC). He is an influential professional within the cinema and entertainment industry in the Arab world, known for his efforts in assembling complete statistical and analytical archives on the economics of filmmaking.

Through MAD Solutions, Karkouti contributed to distributing Arab films ranging from long and short features to documentaries that have found their place on the international scene, including director Naji Abu Nowar's feature film Theeb, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film, and the Academy Award nominated short film Ave Maria by director Basil Khalil, in addition to films that have participated in international festivals and were screened around the world and in the Arab world, such as Factory Girl by Mohammed Khan, Rags and Tatters by director Ahmed Abdullah, 3000 Nights by Mai Masri, Hedi by Mohamed Ben Attia, Foreign Body by Raja Amari, Go Home by Jihane Chouaib, and the short film Kindil el Bahr by Damien Ounouri.

In 2015, Karouti launched the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) through MAD Solutions as an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes. ACC also provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others. The Arab Cinema Center's activities vary between film market main wings, introduction and networking sessions for Arab and foreign filmmakers, welcome parties, as well as meetings with international organizations and festivals, and the issuance of the Arab Cinema Magazine to be distributed at the leading international film festivals and markets.

As a Film Analyst, Karkouti has written about the Arab film industry in a number of renowned publications specializing in both cinema and economics, such as Forbes Middle East, Variety and Screen International among others.