MAD Solutions to feature 5 shorts at Amman Int’l Film Festival

release date June 27 2024

MAD Solutions is sending fiive short films from its distribution slate to screen at the Amman International Film Festival - Awal Film (AIFF), which will be running from July 3rd to the 11th.

The MAD lineup includes IN THE WAITING ROOM, SMOKEY EYES, THE WOODLAND — all of which will be screened as part of the festival’s Shorts competition — along with THE RED SEA MAKES ME WANNA CRY, which will be showcased in the Jordanian program, and TRINOU, which will be getting a special screening.

Coming up first in the lineup is Moatasem Taha's compelling film IN THE WAITING ROOM, which follows Hussein — a 30-year-old Palestinian Arab with Israeli citizenship — who escorts his freshly bereaved 70-year-old mother, Rashida, to her medical appointment in an Israeli hospital.

As they wait for their turn, Rashida, who hasn't left her house in three months, tries to socialize with the other patients in her limited Hebrew.

IN THE WAITING ROOM is produced by Thekra Makalda and Mohammed Ibraheem and stars Marleen Bajjali, Jalal Masarwa, Drora Coren, Bayan Daher, and Maria Toama.

Next up is Ali Ali’s thriller SMOKEY EYES, which follows Nour, who, despite her meticulous planning for a date, unforeseen circumstances derail her romantic outing in the restless streets of nighttime Cairo.

Starring Malak Bazid, Egyptian rapper Marwan Moussa for the first time, Hassan Abouelrouss, Nourine Abouseada, and Mohamed Aboughali, SMOKEY EYES was directed by Ali Ali, written by Nancy Ali, lensed by Pierre Mouarkech, and edited by Nada Zag. The film was produced by Khaled Zaki of GoodPeople Films, with the soundtrack composed by Sary Hany.

Third in the line is Firas Al-Taybeh's THE WOODLAND, which follows two estranged brothers who find themselves in the untamed wilderness as they embark on a journey to bury their father.

Reunited in the wake of tragedy after years of tense separation, the two brothers find themselves at a crossroads where they need to confront their shared past before making a pivotal decision.

MAD Shorts’ penultimate entry in Amman is Faris Alrjoob’s German-Jordanian short THE RED SEA MAKES ME WANNA CRY, which held its Arab world premiere at the sixth edition of El Gouna Film Festival, follows a haunted Ida, who travels to the liminal site of her partner’s disappearance in an attempt to feel his presence one last time and to say goodbye.

Starring burgeoning young Jordanian actor Mohamed Nizar, German actress Clara Schwinning, and Emmy-nominated American-Palestinian-Kuwaiti journalist-actor Ahmed Shihab Eldin, and Anwar Khalil, the short film was produced by top German film school Film-und Medienstiftung NRW.

Last but not least is Nejib Kthiri’s British-Tunisian short TRINOU, which follows Omar — a young boy who escapes his failing body and secluded life by traveling in dreams he creates from magazines his mother used to give him.

When his stepfather urges his wife to change her approach towards her son and stop giving him magazines, both mother and son take an important and life-changing step.

The cast for TRINOU includes Max Pemberton — who guest-starred as Dalton in the first episode of Tim Burton's Netflix series Wednesday — as the lead, alongside Mohamed Grayaa, Kaouther Dhaouedi, and Eleanor Crowe.