MAD Solutions to feature 5 shorts at Zanzibar International Film Festival

release date June 20 2023

MAD Solutions is set to screen five short films from its distribution slate at the Marumaru Fountain of the Zanzibar International Film Festival in Tanzania, which will be running from June 24th to July 2nd.

The MAD lineup includes Mai Wael’s NEB TAWY and Zakaria Al-Bashir’s LAILA — both of which will be holding their world premieres at the festival — Inès Arsi’s FLESH AND BLOOD, Ahmed Moghazy’s Hummus and Chips, and May Ziady’s LIGHT BLUE.

First in the lineup is Mai Wael’s NEB TAWY, which follows a young woman who began working in the antiquities business with her uncle after her father's death. As the days go by, she does everything she can to keep her father's memory alive until she realizes something that will turn her life upside down.

The film — which will screen on Tuesday, June 27th, at 2 pm — stars Nancy Salah, Remas, and Mahmoud Hagag.

Next up is Zakaria Al-Bashir’s LAILA, which world premiered in its home country, Saudi Arabia, in the latest edition of the Saudi Film Festival and was co-written by Sahar Sulaiman, Mohamed Bawarith, and Hazem Saleh.

The film — which will screen on Monday, June 26th, at 2:12 pm — follows Laila, who is a twenty-something married woman going through marital problems with her husband Muhammad, leading her to escape into her imagination and contemplate what could have been.

Third in the lineup is Inès Arsi’s FLESH AND BLOOD, which will screen on Tuesday, June 27th at 9:50 am. The film is about 19-year-old Donia, whose life is thrown into disarray when she realizes that she has gotten pregnant after being raped by her young neighbor. Now, she has only one goal: To abort before it's too late.

Previously, the film screened at the Malmö Arab Film Festival and received support from the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image of the Tunisian Ministry of Culture.

Fourth is Ahmed Moghazy’s HUMMUS AND CHIPS, which is set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 lockdown. The film follows the grumpy racist grandma Margaret, who is lonely and anxiously waiting for her coronavirus test results. She then makes the unusual decision to spend a full day with her Arab neighbor, Bashar. Will this encounter go smoothly?

The film — which will screen on Tuesday, June 27th at 9:30 am — was shot by award-winning cinematographer Rui Jiang Ong, who previously won awards, including Best Cinematographer of the Month at the Asian Cinematography Awards.

Last in the MAD lineup is LIGHT BLUE, which was directed by May Ziady, who co-wrote it with Ahmed Atik.

The film — which will screen on Tuesday, June 27th at 10:15 am — tells the tale of a woman in her early 30s who is plagued by dreams in which she reflects on her relationships with her mother, father, and lover. Through her dreams, we see how her subconscious views these connections and the psychological traumas that they left behind.