MAD Solutions Boasts Seven Films at the Palestine Cinema Days

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Kiss Me Not | Until The Birds Return | The Tower | 17 | Ya Omri (104 Wrinkles) | The Journey | A Drowning Man

MAD Solutions Boasts Seven Films at the Palestine Cinema Days


Seven films distributed by MAD Solutions will screen at the 5th Palestine Cinema Days (October 17-23). The films include three features, two documentaries, a short and an animation. MAD Solutions will also offer its marketing and distribution award to one of the short film projects participating in the festival.

The participating films are: Kiss Me Not by Ahmed Amer, The Journey by Mohamed Al Daradji, Until The Birds Return (En Attendant Les Hirondelles) by Karim Moussaoui, 17 by Widad Shafakoj, Ya Omri (104 Wrinkles) by Hady Zaccak, A Drowning Man by Mahdi Fleifel and The Tower by Mats Grorud (Opening Film). Besides, Abdallah Al Shami, Managing Partner and GCC Representative at MAD Solutions, will serve as a jury member of the Sunbird Production Competition.

Palestine Cinema Days is the only international film festival of its kind in Palestine. Held in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Gaza, Bethlehem and Nablus, the Festival will be dedicated to presenting strong, independent and diverse cinematic voices from around the world. In its fifth edition, the Festival supports the local and international film culture in Palestine, with a special focus on creating and strengthening a local film industry.

About Kiss Me Not:

Kiss Me Not follows a young and ambitious Egyptian director who faces issues while shooting a kissing scene in his new film with the leading actress Fajr who decides to pursue a more religious path.

Kiss Me Not made its world premiere at the 14th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) within the Arabian Nights programme. The film received a Special Mention at the 1st Jounieh International Film Festival. Kiss Me Not stars Yasmin Raeis, Mohamed Mahran, Salwa Mohamed Ali and Aida Riad with guest stars actress Sawsan Badr, along with late director Mohamed Khan and director Khairy Beshara as themselves. The film is written and directed by Ahmed Amer, produced by Middlewest Films, WIKA for Film Production and Distribution and MAD Solutions, and distributed by MAD Solutions.

Friday, October 19, at 07:00 PM at Cinema City, Nablus
Sunday, October 21, at 08:00 PM at Municipal Theater - Ramallah City Hall

About Until The Birds Return:

Until The Birds Return is written and directed by Karim Moussaoui, and co-written by Maud Adeline. The film stars Nadia Kaci, Hania Amar, Aure Atika, Mohamed Djourhi, Sonia Mekkiou and Mehdi Ramdhani.

Past and present collide in the lives of a newly wealthy property developer, an ambitious neurologist impeded by wartime wrongdoings and a young woman torn between the path of reason and sentiment. Until The Birds Return is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.

The film won the Wihr d'Or and Best Director awards at the Oran International Arabic Film Festival and was selected at the Un Certain Regard of the Cannes Film Festival. It was also selected at the Carthage Film Festival (JCC), Arab Film Festival Rotterdam, Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) and the Tarifa-Tangier African Film Festival (FCAT).

Saturday, October 20, at 07:00 PM at Institut Français Chateaubriand, Jerusalem

About The Tower:

An animation feature film directed and written by Mats Grorud, The Tower features the voices of Romina Adl Kasravi, Najila Said, Mikhalis Koutsogiannakis, Aissa Maiga, Mohamed Bakri and Morad Hassan. The film is a French-Swedish-Norwegian coproduction that is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.

Wardi, an eleven-year-old Palestinian girl, lives with her whole family in the refugee camp where she was born. She learns about her family's history through stories told to her by three earlier generations of refugees.

Wednesday, October 17 at 07:00 PM at Ramallah Cultural Palace
Wednesday, October 17, at 03:00 PM at Institut Français de Gaza

About The Journey:

The film events take place in Baghdad in 2006. As Sara stands on the cusp of committing an unthinkable act, an unforeseen and awkward encounter gives her the opportunity to witness the potential consequences of her destructive action. But is this a second chance or an admission of guilt?

Directed by Mohamed Al Daradji, who co-wrote the film with Isabelle Stead, The Journey stars Zahraa Ghandour and Ameer Jbara. The film is produced by Human Film, Iraqi Independent Film Center (IIFC), in cooperation with Lionceau Films, Iraq Al-Rafidain and Iraqi Media Network. The Journey received grants from the Doha Film Institute, AFAC - The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, World Cinema Fund (WCF), the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image Animée (CNC) of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Institut Français, Netherlands Film Fund, SANAD Development Fund (Abu Dhabi Film Festival) and Screen Yorkshire. The film is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.

Thursday, October 18, at 05:00 PM at Dar al-Kalima, Bethlehem
Saturday, October 20, at 05:00 PM at Red Crescent Society, Gaza

About A Drowning Man:

Alone and far from home, the kid makes his way through a strange city looking for the means to get through his day. Surrounded by predators he is forced to make compromises merely to survive, his life of exile grows one day longer.

A Drowning Man made its world premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival as the only Arab participation in the Short Film competition and screened within the Short Cuts competition of the Toronto International Film Festival.

Written and directed by Mahdi Fleifel, A Drowning Man stars Atef Alshafei, Jalal Qaniry, Mounir Alkhateeb, Rebih El-Saleous and Thymios Koukios. The film is co-produced by Final Cut for Real and Nakba Film Works, and distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world, while Salaud Morisset handles the film's international sales.

Saturday, October 20, at 06:00 PM at Municipal Theater - Ramallah City Hall
Monday, October 22, at 05:00 PM Multipurpose Community Resource Center, Nablus
Monday, October 22, at 05:00 PM at Red Crescent Society, Gaza

About 17:

17 follows the Jordanian under-17 women's football team as they prepare for the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup Jordan 2016. Coming from different backgrounds, each of the girls has faced a different set of challenges as a national team player. But now they come together to face their biggest challenge yet. 17 is a social exploration into the lives of young women who are passionate about a sport they have been told was only for men. Will Anoud make it in the final squad? Will Leen be ready to play in this world-class event with so little time to prepare? Will the odds finally start working for the team?

17 is directed by Widad Shafakoj, produced by Muna Fityani and distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions. The film screened at many film festivals, including the Carthage Film Festival (JCC) in Tunisia, Arab Film Festival in California, USA.


Friday, October 19, at 05:00 PM at Municipal Theater - Ramallah City Hall
Monday, October 22, at 02:00 PM at Al-Saraya, Jerusalem


About Ya Omri (104 Wrinkles):

Director Hady Zaccak follows his grandmother Henriette as she ages and crosses the centenarian milestone to reach 104 years. He witnesses the transformation of her memory, her emigration from Lebanon to Brazil and the stories of love, children and suspended time. The film is written and directed by Hady Zaccak, produced by ZAC Films and distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.
Ya Omri (104 Wrinkles) won the Silver FIFOG Prize at the International Oriental Film Festival of Geneva (FIFOG) and the Jury Award at the Malmö Arab Film Festival (MAFF) in Sweden, and before that it won the Award of Merit at the Docs Without Borders Film Festival in Nassau, USA and an Appreciation Award at the Impact Docs Awards. Landed its world premiere at the 2016 Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), where it competed within the Muhr Feature Competition, Ya Omri (104 Wrinkles) took part in several film festivals, including the Beirut Cinema Days 2017, Sharm El Sheikh Arab and European Film Festival, where it marked the sole documentary within the International Features Competition, Cairo Cinema Days and Lebanese Film Festival (LFF) in Sydney, Australia.

Thursday, October 18, at 05:00 PM at Multipurpose Community Resource Center, Nablus
Thursday, October 18, at 05:00 PM at Red Crescent Society, Gaza