Under the umbrella of Arab Cinema Center (ACC) at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, MAD Solutions has announced the acquisition of the Arab distribution rights for the short film Submarine by Lebanese director and writer Mounia Akl. From among the 2,300 works submitted this year, Submarine was selected for the official competition at Cannes' Cinéfondation section to have its world premiere screening. The film will be screened on Wednesday the 18th of May.

Under the imminent threat of Lebanon's garbage crisis, Hala, a wild child inside of a woman is the only one to refuse evacuation, clinging to whatever remains of home.

Garbage crisis in Lebanon has raised global public opinion during the past year after the Lebanese people have protested extensively as the garbage crisis worsens with no proper solution found over the years. Protesters call for a solution to the crisis which has left Lebanon's streets filled with garbage causing environmental pollution.

Produced by Cyril Aris and Jinane Chaaya, Submarine stars Yumna Marwan, Julian Farhat, and Adel Chahine. Submarine was awarded the James Bridges production grant, and will be made into a feature film that Mounia Akl is currently writing, and is set to be completed soon.

About Mounia Akl

Mounia Akl is a Lebanese director and writer. She holds an MFA in Directing and Screenwriting from
Columbia University in New York. She is best known for her TV/web-series Beirut, I Love You (I Love You Not) which made a huge success and marked a large number of YouTube views. In 2015, Akl co-founded Breaking Wave Pictures with 7 MFA film students at Columbia University. Her previous work includes many award-winning short films like, Lydia Never Cries (Winner of the James Bridges Best Director
award), Christine, EVA, Anoesis, and Fasateen web series, produced by Yahoo. Mounia Akl has recently finished the editing of the award-winning Spanish film El Adios.

About Arab Cinema Center (ACC)

Arab Cinema Center (ACC), organized by MAD Solutions, marks its sixth stop in 2016 at the 69th Cannes Film Festival. The Center opened the year with intensive activities at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), followed by the 66th Berlinale, the Qumra Doha Film Institute, the Center's first Arab stop since its launch in 2015, in addition to Silk Road Film festival in Ireland, and Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART).

Previously, Arab Cinema Center (ACC) revealed its year-round partnership with Variety magazine as the Center's media partner; in addition to a digital partnership with Festival Scope and a technology sponsorship with Striim.in to promote ACC's events in 2016. The Center has launched a magazine during the 69th Cannes Film Festival, which is regarded as the first English-language publication of its kind specialized in Arab cinema and designed to address international film markets.

Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is operating as an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides Arab filmmakers with a professional window to connect with filmmakers from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes and provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others.

The Center's activities vary between Film Market main wings, introduction sessions for Arab and foreign filmmakers, welcome parties, meetings with international organizations and festivals, in addition to releasing an ACC guide to be distributed among the Film Market visitors.