MAD Solutions is set to feature seven films from its distribution slate at the 26th Arab Film Festival in San Francisco – which will run from November 11th to the 20th – including four feature films and three shorts.
 
The feature-length films include  Hanadi Elyan’s SALMA’S HOME, Bassel Ghandour’s debut feature THE ALLEYS, Ely Dagher’s debut feature THE SEA AHEAD, and  Zaid Abu Hamdan’s DAUGHTERS OF ABDULRAHMAN.
 
Meanwhile, the short films expected to be screened are Murad Abu Eisheh’s TALA'VISION, Ihsen Kammoun’s ROAD TO El KEF, and  Said Zagha’s LOVESICK IN THE WEST BANK.
 
Learn more about MAD’s films at the Arab Film Festival:
SALMA’S HOME:
After Bakri dies, his ex-wife, daughter, and new wife are made aware of his will, finding out that the only way to claim their inheritance is to live together under one roof.
 
SALMA’S HOME was released on Netflix last July and ranked second in Jordan’s top 10 watched films for three successive weeks.
 
The movie received the Best Feature Film Award at the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in San Jose. It was also screened in the Arab Film Festival at the Arab American Museum in Michigan.
 
Written and directed by Hanadi Elyan, the film stars Juliet Awad, Sameera Asir, Rania Kurdi, and Firas Taybeh, and was produced by Reel LA Productions (Nathan Bennett).
 
THE ALLEYS:
Set in a gossip-ridden, violent neighborhood in East Amman, THE ALLEYS follows the story of a young hustler that will stop at nothing to be with his secret lover, but her mother will not have it.
 
When an extortionist’s camera captures a video of the couple in the act, the mother solicits a gangster to put a stop to it all, however, things do not go as planned. 
 
Recently, THE ALLEYS received the Audience Award and a special mention from the Malmö Arab Film Festival in Sweden and Grand Prix du Jury at the Festival du Premier Film d’Annonay in France. 
 
Moreover, it was nominated for four awards at the Critics’ Awards for Arab Films, which are presented by the Arab Cinema Center on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival. 
 
The film was commercially released in UAE, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. It will also be released in Egypt on November 9th.
 
THE ALLEYS is written and directed by Bassel Ghandour and stars Emad Azmi, Baraka Rahmani, Munther Rayahnah, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Nadira Omran, and Nadim Remawi. 
 
It was produced by Bayt Al-Shawareb (Yousef Abd AlNabi), Imaginarium Films (Rula Nasser), and Lagoonie Film Production (Shahinaz El-Akkad). 
 
MAD Solutions is responsible for the film’s distribution in the Arab world and Elle Driver is managing international sales.
 
THE SEA AHEAD:
Jana, who returns to Beirut after being away for a long time, suddenly finds herself reconnecting with the familiar yet strange life she had once left behind.
 
Ely Dagher’s debut film THE SEA AHEAD held its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight and had its Arab world premiere at the fifth edition of the El-Gouna Film Festival. 
 
It was also screened at the BFI London Film Festival and the Red Sea International Film Festival. 
 
Directed and written by Ely Dagher, the movie stars Manal Issa, Yara Abou Haidar, Rabih El-Zaher, and Roger Azar. 
 
The film is also produced by Andolfi (Arnaud Dommerc) in association with Beachside, and co-produced by Abbout Productions (Myriam Sassine), Wrong Men, and Beaver and Beaver. 
 
DAUGHTERS OF ABDULRAHMAN:
Set in a lower-middle-class neighborhood in Amman, the film follows the single and middle-aged Zainab, who lives a dreary existence as a local seamstress and her father’s keeper. 
 
When Zainab wakes up one morning to a shocking discovery with the potential to defame her throughout her neighborhood, she and her three sisters are forced to come together in spite of their vastly disparate lives.
 
Zaid Abu Hamdan’s DAUGHTERS OF ABDULRAHMAN is a four-time Audience Award winner at the Middle East Now Festival in Florence, FEST New Directors New Films Festival in Portugal, San Diego Arab Film festival in the US, and Cairo International Film Festival, where it held its world premiere.
 
The film was also screened at the Beirut International Women Film Festival – where it got a special mention – and the first Red Sea International Film Festival.
 
Furthermore, it was commercially released in the UAE, Tunisia, Jordan – where it was the first Jordanian film in history to run for ten consecutive weeks in cinemas – and Egypt.
 
Written and directed by Zaid Abu Hamdan, DAUGHTERS OF ABDULRAHMAN stars Saba Mubarak, Farah Bsieso, Hanan Hillo, Mariam Basha, and Khalid Tariffi. 
 
It is produced by Pan East Media (Saba Mubarak & Aya Wuhoush), Lagoonie Film Production, Wika Production and Distribution, and Arab Media Network. 
 
MAD Solutions and Lagoonie are co-distributing the film in the Arab world.
 
TALA'VISION:
TALA'VISION follows the story of eight-year-old Tala, who lives in a war-torn reality. She, however, finds her solace and salvation in watching television – a banned activity that later escalates to a matter of life and death.
 
The movie won several awards, including Best Narrative Film at the Student Academy Awards competition of the Oscars, going down in history as the first Arab film to do so. Also, it garnered the Golden Yusr for Short Films at the Red Sea Film Festival and Best Short, Best Male Director, and Best Cinematography awards at the Indie Short Awards Cannes in France. The film is available on Netflix.
 
Written and directed by Murad Abu Eisheh, the film stars Ziad Bakri, Aesha Balasem, and Khalid Al-Tarifi. The film was co-produced by Jordan’s Tabi 360 and Germany’s Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.
 
ROAD TO EL KEF:
With his mother and brother gone, a vulnerable teenager living in northern Tunisia charts a path that threatens to tear apart what remains of his family.
 
ROAD TO EL KEF held its Arab world premiere at the Carthage Film Festival (JCC),  where it was nominated for the Best Fiction Short Award. It is also expected to feature in the Rabat International Author Film Festival. 
 
Furthermore, the movie is set to hold its US premiere at the Arab Film Festival and had its Canadian premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). 
 
Additionally, it was nominated for the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and screened at the Festival Les Nuits Méditerranéennes, where it was nominated for the Jury Prize.
 
ROAD TO EL KEF was directed by Ihsen Kammoun and written by Charles Hall. The film stars the award-winning Tunisian actor Ahmed Hafiane, Fares Landoulsi, Malek Ben Saad, and Ala Edine Yacoubi. 
 
Eqlae Pictures LLC (Ihsen Kammoun) co-produced the film with Karabila Productions (Anis Kriaa). 
 
Also, 7 Palms Entertainment is managing international distribution while MAD Solutions is managing distribution in the Arab world.
 
LOVESICK IN THE WEST BANK:
Based on true events, a Palestinian family hosts a young American tourist after a simple misunderstanding. But as chaos unfolds in their village, it doesn't take too long for them to become part of the absurd mayhem that immediately ensues.
 
Said Zagha’s LOVESICK IN THE WEST BANK world premiered at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, where it was nominated for Best Narrative Short Film.  It also held its Arab world premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Short Film. 
 
Written and directed by Said Zagha and produced by Nomadic Film House (Mais Salman), the film stars Ali Suliman, Nisreen Faour, Laith Zuaiter and Nabil Koni.