MAD Solutions will be taking part in the 12th Arab Film Festival (Twin Cities) with eight films from its list of clientele. Hosted by the Mizna organization, the Arab Film Festival will be held from the 27th of September to the 1st of October at Minnesota, USA. The eight MAD films are; the feature films, Abdullah
and Go Home; the short films, Karouma, The Parrot, Five Boys and A Wheel and Ayny; and the documentary films Les Petits Chats and Gaza Surf Club.

Established in 2003, the Arab Film Festival has featured debuts of independent narrative and documentary features and short films from more than fifteen countries. The festival seeks to provide Arab American and Arab filmmakers support and exposure to build the local Arab American community. The festival is internationally recognized as a platform for contemporary Arab films and its place in the American experience.

About Abdullah:

Abdullah follows the story of a young man who grew up in a very conservative family where many things are "haram" while he struggles over the years to hide his love for music. The Emirati film Abdullah is written/directed by director Humaid Alsuwaidi and stars Mohammed Ahmed, Mansour Al Feeli, Fatima Altaei, Alaa Shaker, David Daly and Brent Jenkins.

Written and directed by Humaid Alsuwaidi, who also co-produced the film along with Ahmed Lotfy, Abdullah was filmed on a shoestring budget over 34 days in Ajman and Abu Dhabi, while Creative Laband Twofour54 provided the equipment for filming. Mile Studios in Dubai is handling the film's post-production phase and MAD Solutions is distributing the film in the Arab world.

About Go Home:

Go Home tells the story of Nada, who returns to her abandoned family home in Lebanon that was destroyed and dilapidated by the war, turning its garden into a dump. She decides to resettle in this place amidst her childhood memories, setting a mission for herself: finding the body of her grandfather who had disappeared during the Civil War. Her journey leads her to discover myths and secrets while searching for her own identity.

Directed by Jihane Chouaib, Go Home stars the award-winning Iranian star Golshifteh Farahani, who began her career at the age of 14 and won five awards at five different film festivals. Farahani also starred alongside Leonardo Dicaprio in Body of Lies, becoming the first Iranian actress to take part in a Hollywood production since 1979.

Go Home was supported by Enjaaz programme and was nominated for the Best Feature Film Award within the Best Muhr Fiction Feature competition during the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) in 2015. In the same year, the film was also nominated for the New Currents Award at the Busan International Film Festival. Go Home also concluded the events of the 12th Lebanese Film Festival, in addition to participating in the 5th Silk Road Film Festival in Dublin, Ireland. MAD Solutions is distributing the film in the Arab world.

About Karouma:

The film follows Karouma, the unique gifted boy who is striving to break through and to leave his parents' nest to pursue his dreams and live his life in its full potential.

Distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world, Algerian director Boubaker Boukhari's Emirati animation film Karouma toured more than 70 of the world's film festivals in less than eight months, reaping awards including; the Best Animation Film Award at the New York International Short Film Festival, the Pennine Film Festival in the UK; the Comme Il Faut International Film Festival; the 4th Kraljevski Film Festival in Serbia; and the FILMMATIC Filmmaker Awards in USA; in addition to the Silver Remi Award at the 49th Annual International Independent Film Festival (Worldfest-Houston); an Animation Honorable Mention at the FARCUME International Festival of Short Film Faro in Portugal; and the Best International Expat Short award at the Korea International Expat Film Festival.

About The Parrot:

The Parrot tells the story of a Mizrahi Jewish family who emigrates from Tunisia and tries to settle into their new life in Haifa, Palestine in 1948. Directed by Darin J. Sallam and Amjad Al-Rasheed (Jordan), the film stars Hend Sabry, Ashraf Barhoum, Yasmine Ben Amara, Eyad Hourani, Firas Taybeh, Lara Sawalha, and Ahmad Al-Madani, and is written by Amjad Al-Rasheed, Darin J.Sallam, and Rifqi Assaf.

The Parrot had its world premiere at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) within the Muhr Short competition. The film is funded by the German Foundation Robert Bosch Stiftung (RBS), which funds the Best German-Arab film projects. The Parrot received the 2015 Film Prize of RBS in the short fiction category and is a German/Jordanian co-production between the German company Monokel (Roman Roitman) and the Jordanian company TaleBox (Deema Azar). The film is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.

About Five Boys and A Wheel:

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 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.

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. MAD Solutions is handling the film's distribution across the Arab world.

About Ayny:

Based on true events, Ayny follows two young boys who run away from their mother's protection and slack line on the danger of war to play music with the instrument they always dreamt to own.
The film is written, directed, edited and voiced by Ahmad Saleh, music by Nizar Rohana, animated by Frank Pingel, DOP Lionel Poutiaire Somé, produced by Stefan Gieren, and its Arab world distribution is handled by MAD Solutions. The film is a co-production between Germany, Jordan, and Palestine.

Ayny has won the Best Third Movie - Film Competition from Outside Iraq at the 2nd Qumrah International Film Festival in Iraq and the Student Academy Award for Best Foreign Animation. Most recently, the film received the main award (Amarji Alsumaria) at the 2nd Amarji International Film Festival For Short Films in Al Najaf, Iraq. The film made its world premiere in the Muhr Short competition of the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The film was also screened at the Beirut Cinema Days, Sudan Independent Film Festival (SIFF), Animate. Ps (Palestine Animation Festival), ALFILM - Arab Film Festival Berlin, Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts, Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film, International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Festival Ciné-Palestine in Paris, Palm Springs International ShortFest, and the Arab Film Festival Australia (AFFA).

About Les Petits Chats:

Directed and produced by Sherif Nakhla, the film is named after the legendary band Les Petits Chats of the cherished era of the 60's and 70's. The six members, who are now major celebrities and musicians, were reunited to perform one last time in a night to remember in the spring of 2010. Les Petits Chats film provides an insight into the lives of the former bandmates during their glory days and answers the questions evoked within each one of them by tracing their present lives and life choices since their breakup in the 80's. The film showcases interviews with major celebrities and cinema stars at that time and nowadays including: Ezzat Abu Ouf, Omar Khairat, Sobhi Bedair, Samir Sabri and Mohamed Salmawy.

Les Petits Chats landed its world premiere at the 18th Arabian Sights Film Festival for Contemporary Arab Cinema in Washington, DC in 2015, where the film received a nomination for the Arabian Sights Jury Prize. Within its premiere, the film captivated the audiences and the "full-house" signs were raised during its two screenings. The film also took part in several international film festivals, including the Cascade Festival of African Films in Portland, USA, the Silk Road Film Festival in Dublin, Ireland and the Arab Cinema Week in New York. The Arab world distribution of the film is handled by MAD Solutions.

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).

Screening Times of the MAD Films at the 12th Arab Film Festival (Twin Cities) at the St. Anthony Main Theatre

Abdullah: On Thursday, 28 September, at 03:15 pm
Gaza Surf Club: On Thursday, 28 September, at 01:20 pm
Go Home: On Friday, 29 September, at 03:00 pm
Les Petits Chats: On Friday, 29 September, at 05:10 pm
Short films (Karouma, The Parrot, Five Boys and A Wheel, and Ayny): On Saturday, 30 September, starting 11:00 am