Two of MAD Solutions' Films at the Fifej - Festival International du Film pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse, Sousse in Tunisia

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Tunis by Night | Sheikh Jackson

Two of MAD Solutions' Films at the Fifej - Festival International du Film pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse, Sousse in Tunisia


Two films distributed/marketed by MAD Solutions are going to compete in the international competition of the 13th Fifej - Festival International du Film pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse, Sousse in Tunisia (March 18-23). The films are Tunis by Night by director Elyes Baccar, which is distributed by MAD Solutions worldwide, and Sheikh Jackson by Amr Salama that is marketed by the company.

About Tunis by Night

Written and directed by Elyes Baccar, Tunis by Night stars Raouf Ben Amor, Amel Hedhili, Amira Chebli
and Helmi Dridi. The film is co-produced by Elyes Baccar and Mohamed Ali Ben Hamra. The film made its international premiere at the 39th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) within the Official Section for Feature and Documentary Films: International Competition, where its lead, Raouf Ben Amor, won the Best Actor Award.

Tunis by Night follows Youssef, who after more than two decades working for Tunisia's national radio, is on his way to retirement. He is viciously cut off broadcasting during the last episode of his programme "Tunis by night". Youssef's family portrays the different lifestyles in Tunisia, as each member of his family suffers from major conflicts. Youssef takes refuge at the Saint George, the adjacent bar, where he empties his mind after emptying a few bottles of wine. He then runs away from his family to be engulfed by a city he does not recognize anymore...

About Sheikh Jackson

The events of the film take us back to June 25, 2009 as the news of Michael Jackson's death took the world by storm affecting many, especially a preacher who is dubbed "Jackson" during his school days. But, what does a preacher have in common with the King of Pop? More importantly, can he now go back to his normal life, or will his memories and relationships with his loved ones raise the most prominent question in his mind? Is he the Sheikh, Jackson, or both?

Sheikh Jackson landed its world premiere at the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival within the
Special Presentations programme. The film made its Arab world premiere by opening the first edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, where it competed in the festival's Feature Narrative Competition, and its
European premiere was at the 61st BFI London Film Festival. Sheikh Jackson also screened at the
Carthage Film Festival (JCC), Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), within the New Egyptian Cinema 2016-2017 section, and the Arab Cinema Week in New York. The Egyptian Cinema Syndicate selected Sheikh Jackson to be Egypt's official submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign-Language Film. The film was theatrically released in more than seven Arab countries.

Sheikh Jackson is written and directed by Amr Salama and co-written by Omar Khaled. The film stars
Ahmad Al Fishawy, Maged El Kedwany, Ahmed Malek, along with guest stars Amina Khalil, Dorra, Basma and Mahmoud El Bezawy. The German company Media Luna is responsible for distributing the film outside the Arab world, while Cleopatra Entertainment acquired the film's screening rights in North America planning to release it in theaters in the first quarter of 2018. MAD Solutions is handling the Sheikh Jackson's marketing and designed its poster that is used regionally and internationally.