Landing its Arab world premiere at the 14th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), director Mahdi Fleifel's short film A Drowning Man won the Best Muhr Short Film award. The award qualifies the film for consideration for the 2019 Academy Awards for Best Live Action Short Film.

Alone and far from home, The Kid makes his way through a strange city looking for the means to get through his day. Surrounded by predators he is forced to make compromises merely to survive, his life of exile grows one day longer.

A Drowning Man competed for the Palme d'Or - Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival 2017. The film also took part in a number of prestigious film festivals around the world, such as the Toronto International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and Odense International Film Festival. The film won the Silver Spike Award (Best Short Film) at the Valladolid International Film Festival.

Written and directed by Mahdi Fleifel, A Drowning Man stars Atef Alshafei, Jalal Qaniry, Mounir Alkhateeb, Rebih El-Saleous, and Thymios Koukios. It is produced by Final Cut for Real, Nakba Film Works, and distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world, while Salaud Morisset is handling the film's world sales.

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is one of the most important film festivals in the Arab world. Every year, DIFF showcases over 120 features, short films and documentaries from around the world, hosts several world premieres, presents new and exciting cinema from the Arab world and beyond, and introduces audiences to promising new talent and original and unique filmmaking.