release date March 29 2023
MAD Solutions acquires Omar Mouallem’s THE LEBANESE BURGER MAFIA ahead of its premiere at Hot Docs Festival
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MAD Solutions recently acquired the worldwide sales and distribution rights to Omar Mouallem’s documentary THE LEBANESE BURGER MAFIA ahead of the film kicking off its festival run at the Hot Docs Festival, which will be running from April 27th to May 7th in Canada.
The deal was brokered by Brigitte Hubmann and Jennifer Price of Film Associates International on behalf of the production.
Hot Docs is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing and celebrating the art of documentary filmmaking and creating production opportunities for filmmakers.
The film was partially adapted from Will the Real Burger Baron Please Stand Up? — Omar Mouallem’s quirky 2013 investigation into the chain's mysterious origins, which went viral and won one of Alberta’s top journalism awards. He then wrote a follow-up for VICE in 2021 during the production of this film.
THE LEBANESE BURGER MAFIA is a crowd-funded feature documentary about Burger Baron — a rogue fast-food chain with mysterious origins, a cult following, and a secret pathway to the immigrant dream.
The film was written and directed by Omar Mouallem, co-produced by Dylan Rhys Howard (Back Road Productions), lensed by Moh Mahfouz, and edited by Sarah Taylor.
Omar Mouallem is a multimedia journalist known for intertwining human interest stories with world history and broader social issues. His first film DIGGING INTO THE DIRT — which was co-directed and co-produced with Dylan Rhys Howard — was a raw look at the psychological toll of oil sector work that was based on his award-winning reporting at BuzzFeed. It premiered on CBC Gem and was nominated for several Alberta TV & Film Awards, including Best Director and Production.
His recent short film THE LAST BARON earned him recognition as a “producer to watch” from the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards and was hailed as “one of the best Canadian food documentaries” by enRoute magazine.
Mouallem has also worked as a research consultant on several unscripted productions, taught creative nonfiction in universities, and authored two bestselling books, including Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas, which was named one of The Globe and Mail’s Top 100 Books of 2021.
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