MAD Solutions, the leading Arab film distributor, marks a strong presence at the 7th edition of the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (July 26 – August 3) with 12 films featured across the festival's various sections, led by SOPHIA by Dhafer L'Abidine, which has been selected as the festival's Opening Film in the Special Screenings section, reflecting the richness and diversity of MAD's growing cinematic catalogue.
 
SOPHIA by Dhafer L'Abidine opens the festival's Special Screenings section. Competing in the Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition are BEHIND THE PALM TREES by Meryem Benm'Barek, COTTON QUEEN by Suzannah Mirghani, THE SETTLEMENT by Mohamed Rashad, and WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM by Amel Guellaty.
 
MAD is also represented in the Arab Short Film Competition with AICHA and I'M GLAD YOU'RE DEAD NOW. The Spotlight on Tunisian Cinema section includes EXILE by Mehdi Hmili, SATIN ROUGE, and HEDI. Meanwhile, YUNAN by Ameer Fakher Eldin, AMBUSH, and KENTUCKY GAZA will screen Out of Competition.
 
About the participating films:
 
THE SETTLEMENT by Mohamed Rashad recently won the Nour Eddine Saïl Jury Prize and world premiered in the Perspectives section of the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was the only Egyptian film selected in the section. Since then, it has screened at more than 15 festivals and received several awards.
 
YUNAN, written, directed, and edited by Ameer Fakher Eldin, world premiered in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival and has since toured more than 25 festivals worldwide.
 
WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM by Amel Guellaty premiered at Sundance and has won numerous awards, including Best Arab Narrative Feature at the El Gouna Film Festival.
 
BEHIND THE PALM TREES by Meryem Benm'Barek premiered at the Marrakech International Film Festival before screening at Cinemamed Brussels, ALFILM Berlin, the Sydney Film Festival, and others.
 
SOPHIA by Dhafer L'Abidine launched its festival journey in Marrakech before traveling to Santa Barbara, Beverly Hills, Fribourg, and Manchester, where it won Best Director.
 
COTTON QUEEN by Suzannah Mirghani premiered at Venice Critics' Week and has since collected multiple international awards, including the Golden Alexander Theo Angelopoulos Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
 
EXILE by Mehdi Hmili world premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and has screened at several prestigious festivals worldwide.
 
The festival selection also includes the short films AICHA and I'M GLAD YOU'RE DEAD NOW, alongside SATIN ROUGE and HEDI in Spotlight on Tunisian Cinema, while AMBUSH and KENTUCKY GAZA screen Out of Competition.