MAD Solutions Boasts Six Films at the Arab Cinema Week in New York

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Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim| Only Men Go to the Grave| Separation| Gaza Surf Club| 300 KM| Shrimp

MAD Solutions Boasts Six Films at the Arab Cinema Week in New York


MAD Solutions is sending six films from its distribution list to the 2nd Arab Cinema Week (November 17-23), organized by MoviePigs in cooperation with the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) and will be held at
Cinema Village. The MAD films are; feature films Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim by director Sherif El Bendary (Egypt), Only Men Go to the Grave by Abdulla Al Kaabi (UAE), and Separation by Hakar Abdulqader
(Iraq); the documentary film Gaza Surf Club by directors Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine (Palestine, Germany); and the short films, 300 KM by director Mohammed Alholayyil (KSA) and Shrimp by director Yaser Al Neyadi (UAE).

Organized by MoviePigs, the Arab Cinema Week is a one week-long festival that runs in New York celebrating Arab cinema through film screenings, special guest lectures, and receptions.

MoviePigs is a video on-demand platform that targets the Arab expats residing in North America and Europe. Powered by the passion of promoting Arabic indie cinema abroad, the platform offers streaming high-quality Arabic indie films with English subtitles to open doors for Arab cinema aficionados to connect with creative Arab filmmakers.

About Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim

Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim 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.

The film stars Ali Sobhi, Ahmed Magdy, Salwa Mohamed Aly and Nahed El Sebai. Directed by Sherif El Bendary, Ali, The Goat and Ibrahim is written by Ahmed Amer, based on Ibrahim El Batout's story, and produced by Mohamed Hefzy's Film Clinic, Transit Films of Hossam Elouan, and the French film production company Arizona Productions led by Guillaume de Seille, along with Daniel Ziskind as Associate Producer. The film's distribution in the Arab world is jointly handled by MAD Solutions and Film Clinic-Indie Distribution (FCID), while its worldwide distribution is handled by the French sales agent Loco Films.

About Only Men Go to the Grave:

In 1988, a blind mother welcomes her estranged daughters to tell them a secret. Unfortunately, she accidentally dies while sharing it. During the funeral, the daughters try to deal with their mother's sudden death and also work together to unveil her secret by looking for clues from visitors. Throughout the funeral, their own lives continue to unravel, giving room for buried family tensions to gradually surface, while struggling to deal with their own secrets and deep-rooted guilt. The arrival of an unfamiliar guest rocks the entire foundation of their family. How do they deal with theaftermath?

Written and directed by Abdulla Al Kaabi as his debut feature film, the film stars Saleema Yaqoub, Heba Sabah and Abdelreza Nasari. MAD Solutions is handling the film's distribution in the Arab world.

About Separation:

After fleeing their town, Shingal in Iraq, which is under siege from Isis, thousands of Yazidi Kurds find themselves without food or water at the top of Shingal Mountain. Faced with no other choice, three men leave to seek sustenance for their families, unaware that an almost safe passage to Kurdistan has been recently opened. The documentary reveals the story of their wives and children who, having reached the refugee camp, remain anxiously awaiting news of their husbands, while at the same time learning to adapt to life in a new setting.

Written, directed and edited by Hakar Abdulqader, Separation is produced by Duhok Cinema Directorate (Producer Shamal Sabri), supported by the Council of Women's Affairs - Kurdistan Regional Government, and distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.

About 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. In 2013, the film project received the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. MAD Solutions is handling the film's distribution through the Arab world.

About 300 KM:

Hailing from a conservative community, a man, woman and child are forced to travel together in a small car to undertake the journey over a 300-km long stretch of road.
300 KM stars Khaled Alsaqr, Zara Albalushi, and Ibrahim Alhajjaj. The film is written, directed and produced by Mohammed Alholayyil and distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.
About Shrimp:

Weird night, a group of people brought together under absurd circumstances and they express their darkest sides and their most twisted desires.

Written and directed by Yaser Al Neyadi, Shrimp stars Khalid Alnuaimi, Sultan Alshamisi, Hanan Alblooshi, Adel Abdu, Mohamed Saleh, and Ksenia Giorno. MAD Solutions is handling the film's distribution in the Arab world.