Following its extensive participation at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, MAD Solutions steps onto the international stage once more with four powerful films set to screen at the 69th BFI London Film Festival, taking place from October 8th to the 19th in London and across the UK.
 
The MAD lineup includes Kaouther Ben Hania’s internationally acclaimed docu-drama THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB, Tunisia’s official submission to the Oscars, and a contender in the festival’s prestigious Official Competition.
 
Joining it in the thematic strand ‘Journey’ are Annemarie Jacir’s PALESTINE 36, officially submitted by Palestine’s Ministry of Culture for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards; Erige Sehiri’s PROMISED SKY, which opened the 78th Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section; and Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama’s affecting feature debut TÊTES BRÛLÉES — a tender exploration of grief and resilience.
 
THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB, Tunisia’s official submission to the 98th Academy Awards and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, is a harrowing docu-drama based on the true story of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. The film incorporates real-life voice recordings between Hind and Red Crescent volunteers during her final moments, offering an unflinching portrayal of innocence lost in conflict.
 
A Tunisian-French co-production starring Amer Hlehel, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees, and Saja Kilani filmed in Tunisia, the film will screen at 9 pm on Thursday, October 16th, at BFI Southbank, NFT1, and at 12:15 pm and 12:30 pm on Saturday, October 18th, at Curzon Soho Cinema, Screens 2 and 3, respectively.
 
Also featured in the Journey strand is the historical drama PALESTINE 36 by Annemarie Jacir, which explores the events leading up to the Arab Revolt of 1936. The film will screen at 6:10 pm on Friday, October 17th, at Curzon Mayfair, Screen 1, and at 7 pm on Sunday, October 19th, at Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1.
A co-production involving Palestine, the UK, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, PALESTINE 36 follows Yusuf as he drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest of 1936 Mandate Palestine, where several villages were rising up against British rule.
 
But history is relentless; with rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping an increasingly fascist Europe and Palestinian calls for independence, all sides spiral towards inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region.
 
It includes a roster of A-List actors, with many of Palestinian origin, including Hiam Abbass (PARADISE NOW, BLADE RUNNER 49), Palestinian cinema and theater icon Kamel El Basha, Saleh Bakri (SALT OF THE SEA), Yasmine Al-Massri (Netflix’s CASTLEVANIA, THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US!), alongside top shot British actor Jeremy Irons, the acclaimed Tunisian actor and model Dhafer L’Abidine, Billy Howle, GAME OF THRONES stars Liam Cunningham and Robert Aramayo, Syrian actor Jalal Altawil, as well as the debuting Yafa Bakri and Karim Daoud Anay.
 
Next up is Erige Sehiri’s PROMISED SKY, which will also be part of the Journey strand. A co-production between France, Tunisia, and Qatar starring Aïssa Maïga, Laetitia Ky, Deborah Naney, and Mohamed Grayaa, the film tells the story of Marie, Naney, and Jolie, who live together in Tunisia, sheltering Kenza, a shipwreck survivor. As this unorthodox family forms, crises make each woman reconsider her place.
 
Following its acclaimed world premiere as the Opening Film of Un Certain Regard at the 78th Cannes Film Festival and its triple win at the Festival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême, PROMISED SKY will screen at 8:45 pm on Thursday, October 9th, at BFI Southbank, NFT2, and at 12:15 pm and 12:30 pm on Saturday, October 11th, at Curzon Soho Cinema, Screens 2 and 3.
 
Last, but certainly not least on MAD Solutions’ lineup, is TÊTES BRÛLÉES, the affecting feature debut by Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama, which world premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it received two Special Mentions.
 
A Belgian production with a Tunisian flavor, the film is a coming-of-age story shaped by tragedy that follows 12-year-old Eya as she comes to grips with the sudden loss of her older brother Younès, with whom she shared an intense and inseparable bond. Immersed in a deeply codified and intense grieving process, she draws on her creativity, resilience, and the support of Younès’ friends to come to terms with his passing and carve out her own path toward adulthood. The film stars Safa Gharbaoui, Mehdi Bouziane, Mounir Amamra (DIVINES), Adnane El Haruati, Saber Tabi, Nicolas Makola, Mehdi Zellama, and Monia Taieb.
 
 TÊTES BRÛLÉES will screen at 6:20 pm on Saturday, October 18th, at BFI Southbank, NFT3, and at 2:45 pm, on Sunday, October 19th, at Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1.