With a total of 11 films, varying between features, documentaries, and short films, MAD Solutions is set to take part in the 21st Arab Film Festival in California, USA, (October 13 - 22), which will take place in two cities; San Francisco, then in Los Angeles (October 27-29). The festival will feature 50 films from the Arab world.

The films from MAD Solutions' distribution list taking part in the festival include 3 feature films: Gaza Surf Club by Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine, Heaven Sent by Wissam Charaf, and Kindil El Bahr by Damien Ounouri, in addition to the long documentary film 17 by Widad Shafakoj, and the short films: Ahmad by Ameer Ihsan, Abraham by Ali Kareem Obaid , One Minute by Dina Nasser, Submarine by Mounia Akl, Five Boys and a Wheel by Said Zagha , Under the Robes by Michel Zarazir, and Shrimp by Yaser Al Neyadi.

Established in California in 1996, the Arab Film Festival is the largest independent annual showcase of Arab films and filmmakers in the country. The festival has an international standing and is considered one of the most important Arab film festivals outside the Arab world.

About 17:
Directed by Widad Shafakoj and produced by Muna Fityani, 17 follows the Jordanian under-17 women's football team as they prepare for the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup Jordan 2016. Coming from different backgrounds, each of the girls has faced a different set of challenges as a national team player. But now they come together to face their biggest challenge yet.

17 is a social exploration into the lives of young women who are passionate about a sport they have been told was only for men. Will Anoud make it in the final squad? Will Leen be ready to play in this world-class event with so little time to prepare? Will the odds finally start working for the team?

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 is handling the film's distribution in the Arab world. 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) and was nominated for the Social Justice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and 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).

About Heaven Sent:
Heaven Sent had its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival within the Association du Cinéma Indépendant pour sa Diffusion (ACID). After 20 years apart, Samir a former militiaman who was presumed dead reappears in the life of Omar, his little brother who has become a bodyguard in Beirut. Between drama and comedy, Samir has to come to terms with a country he no longer recognizes.

Scripted by Mariette Désert and the film's director Wissam Charaf, Heaven Sent stars Raed Yassin, Said Serhan, Yumna Marwan, Rodrigue Sleiman and George Melki. The film is a Lebanese-French co-production (Aurora Films and Né à Beyrouth).

About Kindil El Bahr:

Directed by Damien Ounouri, who also co-wrote the film with Adila Bendimerad, Kindil el Bahr made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and won eight awards at many international festivals.

Dealing with violence against women, Kindil el Bahr follows, Nfissa, a young mother who during a day trip with her family is drowned by a group of young men while swimming offshore. Having no one who seems to witness her disappearing, anxiety and fear grow among the family, especially as, on the same beach, bathers mysteriously start to die. The film stars Adila Bendimerad, Nabil Asli, Aziz Boukerouni, and Souad Sebki.

About Abraham:
Set against the backdrop of ISIS' imposition of the "jizya" or tax on non-Muslims in its territories, a Christian family devises a plan to protect its only daughter. However, their "perfect" solution might end up having more tragic consequences than intended. Abraham is directed by Ali Kareem Obaid and starsSara El Debuçh, Mohamed Zouaoui, Basil Al Ali, Faisal Dasser and Wolf Layban.

About One Minute:

During the summer of 2014 Gaza war; in the battered neighborhood of Shujaiya, a 37-year -old woman called Salma takes her house as a shelter to protect herself and her daughter Alia from the attacks outside, until she receives a message informing her of their impending fate.

One Minute won the Audience Award at the PerSo-Perugia Social Film Festival in Italy and a Special Mention at the Franco Arab Film Festival within the Short Film Competition in Jordan. The film took part in more than 20 international film festivals including; International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Cairo International Women's Film Festival and Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden (MAFF). Written and directed by Dina Naser, the film stars Majd Hijawi, Ruba Hannun and Alia Daoud and produced by Doc Nomads School.

About Submarine:

Submarine's world premiere was held at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 and it also participated in the 41st Toronto International Film Festival, and most recently, the Long Beach International Film Festival (LBIFF), in addition to more than 20 international festivals around the world. The film won the Special Jury Prize in the Muhr Short competition at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). Under the imminent threat of Lebanon's garbage crisis, Hala, a wild child inside of a woman is the only one to refuse evacuation, clinging to whatever remains of home.

Produced by Cyril Aris and Jinane Chaaya, directed by Mounia Akl, Submarine stars Julian Farhat, Yumna Marwan, and Adel Chahine. The film was awarded the James Bridges production grant.

About Five Boys and A Wheel:

The Jordanian-Palestinian film is directed by director Said Zagha and based on American author Raymond Carver's short story 'Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes'. The film made its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) in its Muhr Short competition.

Five Boys and A Wheel is set in Jordan where a young father has to help his son out of a petty conflict with the neighbors. As the parents of each respective family are summoned to discuss the issue at hand, the discussions begin to quickly spin out of control, putting the values of the father to test.

The film received support from the Royal Film Commission - Jordan (RFC) and won the Silver Palmaward at the Mexico International Film Festival. Five Boys and A Wheel stars Ali Suliman, Nadira Omran, Haydar Kfoof, and is produced by Akram Al-Ashqar, Ahmad Khatib and director Said Zagha.

About Shrimp:
Written and directed by Yaser Al Neyadi, Shrimp won the Best Director Award in the Muhr Short Awards at the Dubai International Film Festival. The film stars Khalid Alnuaimi, Sultan Alshamisi, Hanan Alblooshi, Adel Abdu, Mohamed Saleh, and Ksenia Giorno.

Weird night, a group of people brought together under absurd circumstances and they express their darkest sides and their most twisted desires.

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 byMAD 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 Ahmad:
Directed and written by Ameer Ihsan, the film revolves around Ahmad who is confined to his home by his father, but when his brother comes back from abroad, Ahmad is encouraged to rise up against his father.

Screening Times of the Films at the
Arab Film Festival in California (GMT-8)

17
Monday, 16 October at 2:00 PM
Thursday, 19 October at 8:45 PM

Gaza Surf Club
Sunday, 15 October at 4:00 PM
Saturday, 28 October at 6:00 PM

Heaven Sent
Monday, 16 October at 9:40 PM

Kindil El Bahr
Tuesday, 17 October at 9:00 PM
Friday, 20 October at 6:00 PM

Shrimp
Tuesday, 17 October at 9:00 PM
Friday, 20 October at 6:00 PM

Ahmad
Thursday, 19 October at 7:00 PM
Sunday, 22 October at 2:30 PM
Saturday, 28 October at 4:00 PM

Five Boys and a Wheel
Thursday, 19 October at 7:00 PM
Sunday, 22 October at 2:30 PM
Saturday, 28 October at 4:00 PM

Under the Robes
Thursday, 19 October at 7:00 PM
Sunday, 22 October at 2:30 PM
Saturday, 28 October at 4:00 PM

Abraham
Wednesday, 18 October at 9:00 PM
Sunday, 29 October at 2:00 PM

One Minute
Wednesday, 18 October at 9:00 PM
Sunday, 29 October at 2:00 PM

Submarine
Wednesday, 18 October at 9:00 PM
Sunday, 29 October at 2:00 PM