Four Films Distributed by MAD Solutions to Screen at the Festival Cine-Palestine in Paris

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Gaza Surf Club | The Parrot | Five Boys and A Wheel | Ayny

Four Films Distributed by MAD Solutions to Screen at the Festival Cine-Palestine in Paris


Eighteen films expressing the variety of cinematic expression in the Palestinian cinema will be presented at the 3rd Festival Ciné-Palestine in Paris (June 2-11, 2017), where four films distributed by MAD Solutions are screening. The documentary Gaza Surf Club, the shorts The Parrot, starring Hend Sabry and Ashraf Barhoum, and Five Boys and A Wheel starring Ali Suliman, along with the animated short Ayny are the MAD films that are going to screen at the festival.

Gaza Surf Club

Trapped in "the world's largest open-air prison" and ruled by war, a new generation is drawn to the country's coastline. Sick of occupation and political gridlock, they find their own personal freedom in the waves of the Mediterranean - they are the surfers of Gaza.

Directed by Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine and co-produced by Stephanie Yamine, Gaza Surf Club is a feature documentary film that stars Sabah Abu Ghanem, Mohammed Abu Jayab and Ibrahim Arafat. MAD Solutions is handling the film's distribution in the Arab world. In 2013, the film project received the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. The film landed its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and was nominated for the Social Justice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the Halekulani Golden Orchid Award at the Hawaii International Film Festival. The film took part in several film festivals including the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

The Parrot

The Parrot tells the story of a Mizrahi Jewish family, who emigrate from Morocco, trying to settle into their new life in Haifa, Palestine in 1948. The film stars Hend Sabry, Ashraf Barhoum, Yasmine Ben Amara, Eyad Hourani, Firas Taybeh, Lara Sawalha, and Ahmad Al-Madani, and written by Amjad Al Rasheed, Darin Sallam, and Rifqi Assaf.

The Parrot had its world premiere at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) within the Muhr Short competition. The film is one of the film projects funded by the German Robert Bosch Stiftung Foundation, which funds the Best German-Arab film projects. The film that won the Best Short Film award earlier this year is co-produced by the German Foundation and Royal Film Commission-Jordan, and is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.

Ayny

Based on true events, Ayny follows two young boys who run away from their mother's protection and slack line on the danger of war to play music with the instrument they always dreamt to own. The film is written, directed, edited and voiced by Ahmad Saleh, music by Nizar Rohana, animated by Frank Pingel, DOP Lionel Poutiaire Somé, produced by Stefan Gieren, and its Arab world distribution is handled by MAD Solutions. The film is a co-production between Germany, Jordan, and Palestine.

Ayny has won the Student Academy Award for Best Foreign Animation. The film made its world premiere in the Muhr Short competition of the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The film was also screened at the Beirut Cinema Days, Sudan Independent Film Festival (SIFF), and most recently at the Animate. Ps (Palestine Animation Festival).

Five Boys and A Wheel

A Jordanian-Palestinian film by director Said Zagha based on American author Raymond Carver's short story 'Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes', the film is set in Jordan where a young father has to help his son out of a petty conflict with the neighbors. As the parents of each respective family are summoned to discuss the issue at hand, the discussions begin to quickly spin out of control, putting the values of the father to test.

The film received support from the Royal Film Commission - Jordan (RFC) and the Silver Palm from the Mexico International Film Festival. Five Boys and A Wheel stars Ali Suliman, Nadira Omran, Haydar Kfoof, and is produced by Akram Al-Ashqar, Ahmad Khatib and director Said Zagha. MAD Solutions is handling the film's distribution across the Arab world.

Five Boys and A Wheel made its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) in its Muhr Short competition. The film had its North American premiere at the 40th Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) in February, 2017, while its European premiere was at the Middle East Now Festival in Italy.