The Arab Cinema Center Discusses Circulation and Distribution of Arab Films in the Arab World at the Manarat Mediterranean Film Festival

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With the Participation of Film Professionals from the Arab World and Beyond

The Arab Cinema Center Discusses Circulation and Distribution of Arab Films in the Arab World at the Manarat Mediterranean Film Festival


As part of its activities at international film festivals and markets, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is taking part in the Manarat Mediterranean Film Festival in Tunisia, which runs from July 1-7, 2019. On Wednesday, July 3, the ACC will hold an event titled Circulation and Distribution of Arab Films in the World.

The event will start at 02:30 PM and will last for three hours. With the participation of several professionals, the ACC will present the Arab film industry market, its strengths and weaknesses as well as the existing opportunities in two panel discussions moderated by Film Analyst Alaa Karkouti (Arab Cinema Center and MAD Solutions).

The event will open with a presentation of the most remarkable figures of the film industry in the Arab world, followed by a panel discussion titled: Distribution of Arab Films in the Arab World that will bring together actors and producers Mahmoud Hemida and Elham Shahin, film distributor Lassaad Goubantini, distributor and producer Habib Belhedi, producer Habib Attia, distributor Ahmed Sobky, Jo Muhlberger (European Film Promotion), and Yahya Mguarrech (Artify).

The second panel discussion, held under the title: Support and Funding of Arab Films, will bring together Chiraz Latiri and Mathieu Fournet (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image), director Yousry Nasrallah, producer Sarim El Fassi (National Centre of Cinema Morocco), Roberto Stabile (ANICA), producer Rashid Abdelhamid (Palestine Film Institute), producer Jad Abi Khalil (Beirut Cinema Platform), Nada Doumani (The Royal Film Commission Jordan),and director/ producer Marianne Khoury.

Chiraz Latiri,CEO of the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image (CNCI), says, "The CNCI will once again be at the heart of this event, along with its partners, faithful to its vocation: developing singular film experiences, an ambition that is increasingly dependent on cooperation and solidarity between the countries of our region. This is being achieved through the Arab Cinema Center's activities at Manarat."

Producer Dora Bouchoucha, Director of Manarat Mediterranean Film Festival, comments, "We at Manarat stick to our role in encouraging first-rate films that don't easily get the required attention in the market due to the poor standards and looking for quick profit. Through its activities at Manarat, the Arab Cinema Center shares the same values and goals."

Film Analyst Alaa Karkouti, Co-founder of the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) and CEO of MAD Solutions, says, "We are always keen on cooperating with the CNCI in Tunisia for its deep understanding of the Arab film industry's needs and its efforts to develop it. We have greatly witnessed the CNCI's great achievements in Tunisia in a short time and its success in becoming an ideal example of how film organizations should be in the Arab world."

Organized by MAD Solutions, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) celebrates its fifth year since its inception in 2015. A nonprofit organization registered in Amsterdam, the ACC is an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes. The ACC also provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others. The ACC's activities vary between film market main wings, introduction and networking sessions for Arab and foreign filmmakers, welcome parties, as well as meetings with international organizations and festivals, and the issuance of the Arab Cinema Magazine to be distributed at the leading international film festivals and markets.

Furthermore, newsletter subscription is now available on the ACC's website, allowing users to obtain digital copies of the Arab Cinema Magazine, as well as news on the ACC's activities, notifications of application dates for grants, festivals and offers from educational and training institutions, updates on Arab films participating at festivals, exclusive news on the Arab Cinema LAB, and highlights from the ACC's partners and their future projects.

The ACC also launched an English-language Arab Cinema Guide, available on its website, which is a comprehensive cinematic guide that comprises a variety of tools presented collectively for the first time to offer information on Arab cinema to filmmakers inside and outside of the Arab world. It also aims to facilitate filmmakers' access to international markets and help film industry representatives to easily identify Arab film productions.

The Arab Cinema Center announced the launch of the MAD 3ARABI (Arab Flow) in Prague, Czech Republic. The festival aims to introduce the Arab culture and focus on the film and TV industry, flowing Arab entertainment and culture onto European shores, and also providing an extension for Arab filmmakers and content creators in the entertainment industry to reach new shores.