Three Films Distributed by MAD Solutions at the ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema in New York

Back to Press Releases

Clash | Before the Summer Crowds | Hedi

Three Films Distributed by MAD Solutions at the ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema in New York


Three films distributed by MAD Solutions; Clash by Mohamed Diab, Before the Summer Crowds by
Mohamed Khan and Hedi by Mohamed Ben Attia, are going to screen at the ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema in New York (September 22-28, 2017).

Housed at the Jacob Burns Film Center, the ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema is an annual film series that highlights award-winning films by today's best Arab directors.

About Clash:

In May 2016, Clash made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival as it opened the prestigious Un Certain Regard section. The film won more than 22 international awards.The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) had chosen to present Mohamed Diab's Clash - Egypt's official submission to the Best Foreign-Language Film category at the Academy Awards 2017- to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for Golden Globe Award consideration.

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. Co-written by Khaled Diab and Mohamed Diab, who is also the director, Clash is a co-production between France, Egypt, Germany, and the UAE. The cast includes Nelly Karim, Tarek Abd El Aziz, Hany Adel, Ahmed Malek, Ashraf Hamdi, Mohamed Abdel Azim, Gamil Barsoum and others.

Clash is a joint production effort between: Film Clinic (Egypt), Sampek Productions (France), and Acamedia Global (UAE), in association with ARTE France Cinema (France), Niko Film (Germany), Fortress Film Clinic (UAE) and Pyramide International (France). Taking part in the project are producers Moez Masoud, Mohamed Hefzy, Eric Lagesse, and it is co-produced by Nicole Gerhards, alongside executive producers Jamal Al Dabbous and Daniel Ziskind. Mohamed Diab's wife, Sarah Goher, also acted as a creative collaborator on the film, earning the title "Creative Producer". The film is distributed in Egyptian theatres by MAD Solutions, while Pyramide International distributes it in France and the rest of the world.

About Before the Summer Crowds:

Before the Summer Crowds is the last film by late director Mohamed Khan. The film is co-written by Ghada Shahbandar and Nura El Sheikh, who also participated in the screenwriting. It stars Maged El Kedwany, Hana Shiha, Ahmed Dawood, Lana Mushtaq and Hany El Metennawy. Set in a seaside resort, the film tracks a group of people who meet each other by the beginning of summer season.

The film is a co-production of five production houses, Middle West Films, Film Clinic, The Producers, Wika for Film Production and Distribution and MAD Solutions, which handles the film's international distribution through its distribution arm: MAD Distribution.

About Hedi:

Hedi follows Hedi, a young man of few words who doesn't expect much from the future and lets others make his big decisions for him. His mother is preparing his marriage to Khadija, but two days before that; Hedi meets Rim in the city of Mahdia, who captivates him by her free-spirit, and he finds himself obsessed with this new-born passion. The film stars Majd Mastoura, Rym Ben Messaoud, and Sabah Bouzouita.

Hedi is written and directed by Mohamed Ben Attia, and co-produced by Dora Bouchoucha, Nadim Cheikhrouha, along with Belgian producers and directors, the brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne (Two Days, One Night), while the distribution of the film will be handled by MAD Solutions.

Hedi has been to many international festivals winning several awards. At the beginning of 2016, its director Mohamed Ben Attia won the Best First Feature Award, and its lead actor Majd Mastoura won the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlinale, as an unprecedented achievement for an Arab film at the festival. The film also won the Golden Athena Award for Best Picture at the Athens International Film Festival.
Hedi's lead Mastoura won the Best Actor Award at the Critics Awards, offered by the Arab Cinema Center (ACC), and the Best Artistic Achievement Award at the Luxor African Film Festival. The film took part in over 20 international festivals including; the BFI London Film Festival, Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), Cairo Cinema Days, Sudan Independent Film Festival (SIFF), and Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Tétouan.

Screening Times of the Films at the ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema

Before the Summer Crowds: Monday, September 25, 05:00 PM (GMT-4)
Clash: Tuesday, September 26, 07:30 PM (GMT-4)
Hedi: Thursday, September 28, 08:00 PM (GMT-4)