In a strong comeback for documentaries to theatres, MAD Solutions revealed that the new film Underground/On the Surface by Salma El Tarzi will hit theatres in Cairo as well as many cities for only one week starting April 22nd of April.

The documentary tells the rising to stardom story of the two shaabi music stars, Oka and Ortega. Awarded Best Director Award from Dubai International Film Festival 2013, the film it is the first documentary distributed in theatres since 2011.

The 70-minute documentary highlights the accelerated growth of shaabi music which has been expanding most recently under the name mahraganat music 'festivals music' in the heels of the 25th January revolution. Following the underground shaabi music scene, known as 'mahraganat', the film focuses on the surge of popularity this genre received following the revolution; Oka, Ortega, and Wezza, three of the movement's most prominent artists, are suddenly put under the spotlight, so the question is: will they be able to preserve their identity as independent artists?

Produced by AKER Productions of Mohamed El Tohamy in 2010, the film received funds from Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) and is distributed and marketed by MAD Solutions.
Born in 1978, Salma El Tarzi studied Film Directing at the High Institute of Cinema in Cairo. In 2004, she presented her documentary debut Enta Aref Leh? (Do You Know Why) which tracks the daily lives of models in advertisements that received a prize at the Rotterdam Arabic Film Festival.


Screening Venues of Underground/On the Surface

Cairo| Zawya in Downtown, Renaissance Cinema Zaytoun in Helmeyet El Zaytoun, Cairo Mall in El Haram

Alexandria| Royal