As part of the 68th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland (5-15 August), MAD Solutions previously is launching a new award under its name to be offered at to two winning film projects in the festival's Open Doors Initiative. The program which this year will focus on film projects from the Maghreb region. The winning film projects were "L'Amour des hommes," by Mehdi Ben Attia (Tunisia/France) and "Ruqya," by Yanis Koussim (Algeria/France.)

MAD has previously revealed the intention to offer the award to only one film project, but due to the amazing quality of the participating projects, it has been decided that the award will be extended to be granted to two films. Alaa Karkouti CEO of MAD Solutions, says, "Due to the number of strong projects in the Open Doors section, we decided to extend our MAD Distribution Award to two projects. We believe the Maghreb countries have rich ideas and content, which deserve a region-wide release across the Arab world."

The MAD Solutions award will grant distribution and promotional services for the winning film project. This comes as part of the company's long-term strategy to support and promote the Arab cinema industry in the region and beyond.

The Open Doors program aims to promote film production in countries with talented filmmakers who find it difficult to have a shot at success. Every year, a country or several countries are selected allowing their filmmakers to participate in the competition. The program is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) through the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). This year, 12 films from the Maghreb region have been selected to compete in the Open Doors section.

In addition to the award, MAD Solutions will also offer the competing projects a chance to interact with several key Arab and international names during the initiative's events.

This year, MAD Solutions launched two editions of the Arab Cinema Center (ACC), the first of which was held at the Berlin International Film Festival, and the second at Cannes Film Festival. ACC is an international platform promoting Pan-Arab cinema and offering filmmakers a professional opportunity for communication with international filmmakers through a number of networking events attended by representatives of companies and institutions investing in the field of co-production, international distribution among other relevant services.

L'Amour des homes

Is it possible that the loss of someone much loved becomes a liberation in the end? Amel, a 25-year old photographer, embarks on a journey to find answers for this question. Following the death of her husband, she takes refuge in her hobby as a photographer as a desperate attempt in pursuit of happiness. Gradually, she finds out that sometimes one has to reconcile the desire for freedom with the need for self-protection.

Director: Mehdi Ben Attia
Producers: David Mathieu - Mahias (4A4 Productions)
Duration: 90 minutes
Production Status: Pre-production

Ruqya

Algeria, in the nineties when the Sidi-Salem massacre takes place. All of the survivors are amnesiac. Everybody has been identified except for Slimane. No one knows if he is a persecutor or a victim... Many years later, Slimane has become a Raqi, an Islamic exorcist. From the rocky plains to the most isolated farms, he roams through the country, going where the demon is, fighting the devil's torments. Soon after, the grave of the Sidi-Salem survivors are desecrated and ripped off. Slimane understands that only a final Ruqya can put an end to the neverending horror that should have ended years ago, in Sidi-Salem.

Director: Yanis Koussim
Producer: Fares Ladjimi (Mille et Une Productions)
Duration: 90 minutes
Production Status: In development