Eight films distributed by MAD Solutions will screen at the 1st Casablanca Arab Film Festival (December 10-15). The films are Weldi by Mohamed Ben Attia, The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul by director Andaç Haznederoğlu and Jordanian actress and producer Saba Mubarak, The Journey by Mohamed Al Daradji, El Jaida by Selma Baccar, Only Men Go to the Grave by Abdulla Al Kaabi, A Mile in My Shoes by Said Khallaf, Theeb by Naji Abu Nowar and 3000 Nights by Mai Masri.

The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul, Weldi,and The Journey will compete in the festival's Official Competition, and El Jaida, Theeb, 3000 Nights and Only Men Go to the Grave will screen within the Arab Panorama section, while A Mile in My Shoes will screen within the Moroccan Panorama section.

The film screenings will be attended by Andaç Haznederoğlu, director of The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul; Mouna Mejri, female lead in Weldi; and Ameer Jbara, the male lead in The Journey.

About Weldi

Weldi made its world premiere at this year's edition of the Cannes Film Festival within its Directors' Fortnight section, and most recently, it competed in the Official Competition of the 2nd El Gouna Film Festival. Weldi follows Riadh, who is about to retire from his work as a forklift operator at the port of Tunis. The life he shares with his wife Nazli revolves around their only son Sami, who is preparing for his high school exams. The boy's repeated migraine attacks are a cause of much worry to his parents. But when he finally seems to be getting better, Sami suddenly disappears.

Directed and written by Mohamed Ben Attia, and co-produced by Dora Bouchoucha's Nomadis Images, Les Films du Fleuve and Tanit Films, Weldi stars Mohamed Dhrif, Mouna Mejri, Zakaria Ben Ayed, Imen Cherif, Taylan Mintas and Tarik Copti. The film is distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world.

About El Jaida

Directed by Selma Baccar, El Jaida stars Souhir Ben Amara, Mohamed Ali Ben Jemaa, Khaled Houissa and Najoua Zouhair. The film screened at several international film festivals, including the Carthage Film Festival (JCC), Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), and the Annaba Mediterranean Film Festival. El Jaida is distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world.

Set in 1954, four women meet at Dar Joued, a correction facility for women who disobey their husbands. Despite tough daily living conditions, they find hope and joy in their emerging friendship.

About The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul:

Written and directed by Turkish director Andaç Haznederoğlu, The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul stars Saba Mubarak and child Rawan Skeif, alongside a number of real Syrian refugees who are acting for the first time. The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul is a co-production between the Turkish companies; Andaç Film Productions, Istanbul Digital (ID) and Istanbul Film Production (IFP); and the Jordanian company Pan East Media. The film project has received financial support from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. MAD Solutions distributes the film in the Arab world.

The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul follows the journey of Lena and Meryem during their escape from the war in Syria. Lena is a ten-year-old girl who has lost her family in the war. She finds herself forced to make her way to Turkey with her baby sister and their neighbor Meryem, along with the other refugees. Lena wants to return home, while Meryem's hope is reach Europe.

About The Journey

Set in Baghdad in 2006. As Sara stands on the cusp of committing an unthinkable act, an unforeseen and awkward encounter gives her the opportunity to witness the potential consequences of her destructive action. But is this a second chance or an admission of guilt?

Directed by Mohamed Al Daradji, who co-wrote the film with Isabelle Stead, The Journey stars Zahraa Ghandour and Ameer Jbara. The film is produced by Human Film, Iraqi Independent Film Center (IIFC), in cooperation with Lionceau Films, Iraq Al-Rafidain and Iraqi Media Network. The Journey received grants from the Doha Film Institute, AFAC - The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, World Cinema Fund (WCF), the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image Animée (CNC) of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Institut Français, Netherlands Film Fund, SANAD Development Fund (Abu Dhabi Film Festival) and Screen Yorkshire. The film is distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world.

About A Mile In My Shoes

A psychological thriller that tells the story of a child who, born and bred in misery and suffering, decides to take revenge on the society that has marginalized him. Written and directed by Said Khallaf, A Mile In My Shoes stars Amine Ennaji, Fatima Harrandi, Abdellah Ajil, and child actor Said Alami. The film is distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world.

A Mile In My Shoes is Morocco's official submission to the 2017 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film won many awards at international film festivals, including five awards at the Tangier National Film Festival; Grand Prize, Best Actor in a Leading Role to Amine Ennaji, Best Actress in a Leading Role to Fatima Harrandi, Best Original Music to Mohamed Oussama and a Special Mention to Said Alami. The film also won the Gold DJED Pillar Award for Best Feature Film at the Luxor Arab and European Film Festival in Egypt,the Best Film Director awardanda Special Mention to Said Alami at the International Film Festival, Al Hoceima in Morocco, the Best Leading Actor awardat the International Festival of Cinema and Common Memory of Nador in Morocco, the Special Jury Award at the Oran International Arabic Film Festival in Algeria, the Best Foreign Film awardat the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival (DTLA) in the USA, and the Best Leading Actress award at the Carthage Film Festival (JCC) in Tunisia.

About 3000 Nights:

Written and directed by Mai Masri,the Palestinian-Jordanian film won 23 awards at international film festivals and represented Palestine in the Golden Globes.

3000 Nights is a co-production between Jordan, Palestine, France, UAE, Qatar and Lebanon. MAD Solutions handles the distribution of the film in the Arab world. 3000 Nights tells the story of a young Palestinian school teacher who gives birth to her son in an Israeli prison, where she fights to protect him, survive and maintain hope. The film stars Maisa Abdelhadi, Nadera Omran, Raida Adon, Rakeen Saad, Abeer Haddad, Anahid Fayad, Haifa Al Agha, Khitam Edelbi and Hana Chamoun.


About Only Men Go to the Grave:

After the Iraq-Iran war ended in 1988, a blind mother welcomes her estranged daughters to tell them a secret. Unfortunately, she accidentally dies while sharing it. During the funeral, the daughters try to deal with their mother's sudden death and also work together to unveil her secret by looking for clues from visitors. Throughout the funeral, their own lives continue to unravel, giving room for buried family tensions to gradually surface, while struggling to deal with their own secrets and deep-rooted guilt. The arrival of an unfamiliar guest rocks the entire foundation of their family. How do they deal with the aftermath?

Only Men Go to the Grave stars Saleema Yaqoub, Heba Sabah and Abdelreza Nasari. The film is written and directed by Abdulla Al Kaabi marking his debut feature film. MAD Solutions distributes the film in the Arab world.

About Theeb

Theeb is Jordanian director/writer Naji Abu Nowar's first feature film, which he co-scripted with Bassel Ghandour. Set in the Arabian Desert of 1916, the film follows Theeb, a young Bedouin boy, and his brother Hussein as they leave the safety of their tribe to venture on a treacherous journey at the dawn of the Great Revolt. If Theeb is to survive he must quickly learn about adulthood, trust and betrayal. The film is distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world.