MAD Solutions Boasts Six Films at the 27th Carthage Film Festival

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Clash | 3000 Night | Al Medina| Starve Your Dog | Barakah Meets Barakah | The Curve

MAD Solutions Boasts Six Films at the 27th Carthage Film Festival


MAD Solutions will be taking part in the 27th edition of the Carthage Film Festival (JCC) (October 28 - November 5) with six films from its list of clientele. The six MAD films are; Clash, 3000 Nights, Al Medina
and Starve Your Dog which will be contending within the festival's Official Competition for Long Feature Films; and Barakah Meets Barakah and The Curve which will be contending within the Official Competition of the First Film.

Created in 1966, the Carthage Film Festival (JCC) is the oldest event of its kind on the African continent and the Arab World. The festival was hosted every two years until it became an annual event ever since its 2014 edition. Since it was first created, the prestigious Carthage Film Festival is always devoted to screening remarkable Arab and international films, with recognition to their filmmakers. This year, 2016, the festival celebrates its 50th anniversary within its 27th edition.

About Clash
Co-written by Khaled Diab and Mohamed Diab, who is also the director, Clash stars Nelly Karim, Tarek Abd El Aziz, Hany Adel, Ahmed Malek and others. The film landed its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival as it inaugurated the prestigious Un Certain Regard section. The Hollywood Reporter also selected Clash as one of the 10 Best Films at the 69th Cannes Film Festival. The film also has been selected to represent Egypt at the 2017 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign-Language Film category.

Synopsis:
Tackling the political unrest that prevailed in Egypt in 2013, Clash's events take place in an 8-meter police truck, crammed with detainees representing different sects of society, their interaction with each other full of madness, violence, romance, and comedy.

About 3000 Nights
Written and directed by Mai Masri, 3000 Nights is a Palestinian co-production between France, Jordan, UAE, Qatar and Lebanon, MAD Solutions is in charge of the distribution of the film in the Arab world. In 2010, the film won the Carthage Film Festival Grant Award for Best Script. The film recently won the Audience Award at the Annonay International Festival of First Films in France. The film's screening night was attended by more than 400 spectators, who gave an overwhelming standing-ovation that lasted for several minutes. 3000 Nights won the Special Jury Award at Washington, DC International Film Festival (Filmfest DC) and the Jury Award at the Women's International Film and Television Showcase in the US. It also won the Meeting Point Audience Award at the 60th Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain.

Synopsis:
3000 Nights tells the story of a young Palestinian school teacher who gives birth to her son in an Israeli prison, where she fights to protect him, survive and maintain hope. The film stars Maisa Abdelhadi,
Nadera Omran, Raida Adon, Rakeen Saad, Abeer Haddad, Anahid Fayad, Haifa Al Agha, Khitam Edelbi
and Hana Chamoun.

About Al Medina
Written and directed by Omar Shargawi, Al Medina is a co-production between Rula Nasser (The Imaginarium) and Danish producers Tomas Radoor and Rene Ezra (Nordisk Film Production). The film's Arab world distribution and marketing is assigned to MAD Distributions.

Al Medina tells the story of Yusif who decides to come back along with his Danish pregnant wife Sarah to his home town Al Medina. His God fearing heart is following a dream of returning to his roots searching for peace and happiness with his wife and unborn child. Yet only when he kills a beggar boy, by mistake, his life changes and this throws him into the dark side of his own home town. Along with Omar Shargawi, Al Medina stars Ashraf Farah, Ghazal, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Hassan Shaer, Nadera Omran,
Majida Al Bashayreh, Makram Khoury, Siham Al Kurdi, and Ali Elian.

About Starve Your Dog
Written and directed by Hicham Lasri, Starve Your Dog has taken part at many film festivals and won several awards including the African Federation for Cinematographic Critic Award at the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF), and the Best Direction Award at the Khouribga African Film Festival (FCAK) in Morocco.

Synopsis:
Starve Your Dog is an experimental cinematic essay that rewrites the facts of Morocco, by revealing the dark secrets of Driss Basri, the man responsible for countless human rights abuses under King Hassan II's regime. The film stars Benaissa El Jirari and Latefa Ahrrare.

About Barakah Meets Barakah
Produced by El Housh Productions, Barakah Meets Barakah is written and directed by Mahmoud Sabbagh. The film stars Hisham Fageeh and Fatima Al Banawi. The film will be commercially released soon in theatres across the Arab world. Barakah Meets Barakah has been selected for the 41st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Canada (8 -18 September) as part of the Special Presentations section. This comes after the film's win of the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 66th Berlinale within the
Forum section earlier this year. The film has just been selected to represent Saudi Arabia at the 2017 Academy Awards by competing in the Best Foreign-Language Film category.

Synopsis:
Barakah Meets Barakah tells the story of two lovers who are united in an environment hostile to dating of any kind. He is Barakah, the municipal civil servant from Jeddah, who is also an amateur actor in a theatrical troupe. She is Barakah, a wild beauty, who functions as a crowd-puller for her stylish mother's boutique and runs her own widely-seen vlog. They both defy customs and traditions, as well as the religious police, using modern communication technologies and traditional dating methods.

About The Curve
Written and directed by Rifqi Assaf, The Curve stars Palestinian star Ashraf Barhoum, Syrian actress Fatina Layla, Lebanese actor Mazen Moadam and Jordanian Ashraf Telfah. The Curve had its world premiere at the 12th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The film landed its European premiere at the 15th East End Film Festival (EEFF) in the UK. In addition, The Curve participated at the 5th Festival International de Cinémaet Mémoire Commune de Nador (International Festival of Common Memory Cinema in Nador) and also had its North American premiere at the 42nd Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) in the USA. Most recently, The Curve opened the 6th Arab Film Festival Amman.

Synosis:
The Curve is about Radi, who leads a reclusive life in his own van, finds himself on a road trip with three strangers that alters his clockwork and very private lifestyle.