MAD Solutions — the most prolific film distribution agency in the MENA region — is set to screen two short films from its distribution slate at the Rabat-Comedy International Film Festival in Morocco, which will be running from June 17th to the 24th — HALAL KISS by Selim Eladawy and ARNOOS by Samer Battikhi.
 
Selim Eladawy’s HALAL KISS follows a middle-aged man who strolls down the street and stops to buy a set of porn magazines and erotic novels from a street newspaper and book stand. He then gets into a conversation with the seller, who finds him strange and outdated.
 
The film, which world premiered at the Alexandria Short Film Festival, features Mohamed Elsewesy, Sherif Eldesouky, Nadia Khairy, and Mohamed Elsawy, and is scheduled to screen on Monday, June 19th at 4:30 pm.
 
Meanwhile, Samer Battikhi’s ARNOOS world premiered at the El Gouna Film Festival and screened at several other prestigious film festivals, including the Malmö Arab Film Festival, LatinArab - Festival Internacional de Cine Latino Árabe, and Carthage Film Festival.
 
The film — which will screen on Tuesday, June 20th at 4:30 pm — is set during a normal day at a shopping square in Amman, where 15-year-old spoiled naive kid Sami and the street-smart hustler Mahmoud — a 15-year-old corn seller — are ready to execute their plan to steal an unexpected gift that will impress Sami’s girlfriend, not knowing of the uncalculated twists that are coming their way from the shop owners.