Three of the films distributed by MAD Solutions have won awards at the closing ceremony of the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) which was held on Wednesday, December 14th. The films are: Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim, which won the Best Actor Award (Ali Sobhy) in the Muhr Feature
competition; Withered Green, which snapped the Best Director Award for Mohammad Hammad in the same competition. Both films are co-distributed by MAD Solutions and Film Clinic Indie Distribution
(FCID). Moreover, Submarine's director Mounia Akl has won the Special Jury Prize in the Muhr Short
competition.

MAD Solutions participated in 2016 Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) with 15 films from among the films on its distribution and marketing list; ten of which competed in three of the festival's official competitions, a film was screened out of competition, and the festival's prestigious Cinetech also included four MAD films. In addition, the Arab Cinema LAB inaugurated its first edition as the latest endeavor of the Arab Cinema Center (ACC), which is organized by MAD.

Director Sherif El Bendary's debut feature Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim won three awards during its participation in the Final Cut Workshop at the Venice International Film Festival. The film follows a strange love story of a young man living in a rough neighborhood. He travels across Egypt on the recommendation of a psychic along with Ibrahim who is almost driven mad by the voices he hears in his head. Their journey turns into a voyage of friendship and self-discovery.

Withered Green is director Mohammad Hammad's debut feature. The film premiered at Locarno International Film Festival, and participated in four other international festivals, in Namur, Stockholm, Singapore, and Brussels. Withered Green tells the story of young Iman, a conservative religious person, who takes people's opinions of her into account and shows uptight restriction to all the withering social traditions. However, a shocking discovery prompts her to do away with all these withered traditions that she once clung to.

Director Mounia Akl's short film Submarine landed its world premiere at the latest edition of the Cannes Film Festival's Cinéfondation competition and it also participated in 15 international festivals, including the 41st Toronto International Film Festival. The film revolves around the imminent threat of Lebanon's garbage crisis, where Hala, a wild child inside of a woman, is the only one to refuse evacuation, clinging to whatever remains of home.

DIFF is one of the most important film festivals in the Arab world. In each edition, DIFF showcases over 120 features, shorts films and documentaries from around the world and will include several world premieres. Every year DIFF presents new and exciting cinema from the Arab world and beyond, introducing audiences to fresh, new talent and original and distinctive filmmaking.