Three short films distributed by MAD Solutions will be taking part in the first edition of the Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival that will be held in Venice and Florence from the 27th of September to the 1st of October. The three MAD films are; AVE MARIA by director Basil Khalil, One Minute by director
Dina Naser,and Ayny by director Ahmed Saleh.

Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival aims to present unique short films by promising talented filmmakers. The festival also presents the difficulties and challenges that Palestinians face daily under occupation through the experiences of filmmakers from all over the world.

About AVE MARIA:

AVE MARIA is a 14-minute comedy that tells the story of an order of Palestinian nuns living in the middle of the West Bank wilderness. Their daily routine of silence and prayer is disrupted when a family of Israeli settlers breaks down right outside their convent, just as the Sabbath is beginning. The family need to get home but can't operate the phone, and the Nuns have taken a vow of silence.

The film gathered 25 awards from more than 130 world festivals including the Best Screenplay Award at the Tangier International Film Festival, in addition to the Oscar's® nomination for Live Action Short Film in 2016.

AVE MARIA landed its world premiere in the Official Selection at Cannes Film Festival in May 2015. With its theatrical release in over 400 screens in the USA and Europe part of the 2016 Oscar® nominated short films program, Basil Khalil's Palestinian short film AVE MARIA generated more than $2.8 million in revenues from the USA alone. AVE MARIA was the first short film, alongside Jordanian Naji Abu Nowar's film Theeb, to be well received by theaters when it had its commercial release in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.

About One Minute:

During the summer of 2014 Gaza war; in the battered neighborhood of Shujaiya, A -37year Salma takes her house as a shelter to protect herself and her daughter Alia from the attacks outside, until she receives a message informing her of their impending fate.

One Minute won the Audience Award at the PerSo-Perugia Social Film Festival in Italy and a Special Mention at the Franco Arab Film Festival within the Short Film Competition in Jordan. The film took part in more than 20 international film festivals including; International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Cairo International Women's Film Festival and Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden (MAFF). Written and directed by Dina Naser, the film stars Majd Hijawi, Ruba Hannun and Alia Daoud and produced by Doc Nomads School. MAD Solutions is handling the film's distribution in 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).

Screening Times of the MAD Films at the Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival in Venice (GMT+2)

AVE MARIA: On Wednesday, 27 September, at 06:00 pm
Ayny: On Thursday, 28 September, at 06:00 pm
One Minute: On Friday, 29 September, at 06:00 pm

Screening Times of the MAD Films at the Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival in Florence (GMT+2)

AVE MARIA: On Saturday, 30 September, at 09:00 pm
Ayny: On Saturday, 30 September, at 09:00 pm
One Minute: On Sunday, 1 October, at 06:00 pm