Six films distributed by MAD Solutions are going to screen at the 3rd edition of the Haifa Independent Film Festival (HIFF) (22 - 27 March). The six MAD films are; documentary film Gaza Surf Club by Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine; short films A Drowning Man by Mahdi Fleifel, Under the Robes by Michel Zarazir, , Mare Nostrum by Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf, BONBONÉ by Rakan Mayasi, and The Rifle, The Jackal, The Wolf, and The Boy by Oualid Mouaness.

The Haifa Independent Film Festival aspires to create a cultural crossing between Haifa and unreachable, prohibited parts of the Arab world - allowing a leap out of our inner and inter-cultural voids that have been prevalent for too long.

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.MAD Solutions, which is handling the film's distribution in the Arab world, has recently released the film in Kuwaiti theaters.

In 2013, the film project received the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. The film landed its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Gaza Surf Club received a Special Mention at the Days of Cinema in Palestine, was nominated for the Social Justice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and won the Halekulani Golden Orchid Award at the Hawaii International Film Festival. The film took part in several film festivals, including: the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), Carthage Film Festival (JCC), Arab Cinema Week in New York, Environmental Film Festival in Washington DC, Houston Palestine Film Festival, Tromsø International Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), MoMA's International Festival of Nonfiction Film and LIGHTS Film Festival Frankfurt International.

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.

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

About Under the Robes

Under the Robes tells the story of Monsignor Isidore who pays a visit to an isolated convent in order to announce its closing down. During the visit, he steps on a landmine. Panic ensues and faith is tested.

Written and directed by Michel Zarazir, Under the Robes is produced by Gaby Zarazir and distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world. The film stars Manuel Daher, Yvonne El Haiby Nakad and Mona Abou Chabke Kheir.

Taking part in more than 20 film festivals around the world, the film received nine awards including the Canal+ Short Film and Short Film Grand Prize - Special Mention awards at the Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Montpellier (CINEMED) in France, the Gold Mikeldi for Best Fiction Film at the International Documentary Film and Short Film Festival in Bilbao (ZINEBI) in Spain, Best First Film at the Lebanese Film Festival in Lebanon and Best Short Film at the European Film Festival in Lebanon.

About Mare Nostrum

The film's events take place in 13 minutes on the shore of the Mediterranean, where a Syrian father and his little daughter flee the civil war in Syria, but the father makes a decision that could endanger his daughter's life.

Directed by Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf, and written by Kazkaz, Mare Nostrum stars Ziad Bakri and Zayn Khalaf. The film is a French Syrian Jordanian production.

Mare Nostrum landed its world premiere at the Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Montpellier (CINEMED). The film received eight awards including; the Best Short Film at the BBC Arabic Festival in the UK and the Grand Prix at the Rencontres du Cinéma Européen - Association Cinécran in France. Mare Nostrum competed within the Muhr Short Competition at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), Sundance Film Festival, and Sharm El-Sheikh Arab and European Film Festival, in addition to screenings at the Cairo Cinema Days and the Carthage Film Festival.

About BONBONÉ

In less than 16 minutes, BONBONÉ follows a Palestinian inmate serving time in an Israeli jail receives a visit from his wife who devises a bold and crafty operation to fulfill their secret desires.

BONBONÉ landed its world premiere at the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) within the Short Cuts section. The film won the Best Short Film Award at the 16th Festival Internacional de Cine de Almería (FICAL) in Spain, in addition to taking part at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) within the Short Muhr Competition and the Palestinian Film Festival in Australia.

Written and directed by Rakan Mayasi, BONBONÉ stars Saleh Bakri, Rana Alamuddin and features Nadira Omran. BONBONÉ is produced by Groundglass235 in co-production with The Postoffice andMad4Films, and in association with db Studios. MAD Solutions is responsible for distributing the film across the Arab world and Salaud Morisset is responsible of international sales.

About The Rifle, The Jackal, The Wolf, and The Boy

Set in a mountain village in Lebanon, two brothers use their dad's rifle behind his back, unaware of the dire consequences of their action.

The film was shortlisted for the 89th Academy Awards' Best Live-Action Short Film in 2017. The film toured more than 20 international film festivals and received the Special Jury Award at the Short To The Point International Short Film Festival.

Written and directed by Oualid Mouaness, The Rifle, The Jackal, The Wolf, and The Boy stars Fidel Badran, Ali Mneimneh, Jad Badran, and Layal Ghanem. The film is produced by Jinana Chaaya and Oualid Mouaness and distributed through the Arab world by MAD Solutions.

Screening Times of the Films at the Haifa Independent Film Festival

A Drowning Man
Friday, March 23, 07:00 PM
Monday, March 26, 07:00 PM

Mare Nostrum
Saturday, March 24, 07:00 PM
Sunday, March 25, 09:00 PM

BONBONÉ
Saturday, March 24, 07:30 PM
Sunday, March 25, 07:00 PM

The Rifle, The Jackal, The Wolf, and The Boy
Saturday, March 24, 07:30 PM
Sunday, March 25, 09:00 PM

Under the Robes
Saturday, March 24, 07:30 PM
Sunday, March 25, 09:00 PM

Gaza Surf Club
Tuesday, March 27, 09:00 PM