Bringing the magic of cinema to the heart of Iraq, MAD Solutions proudly announces its triumphant showcase at the 2024 Baghdad Film Festival, where three captivating titles from its distribution slate enthralled audiences and claimed awards in different categories.
 
Among the winners stands Mohamed Kordofani's multiple-award-winning debut Sudanese drama feature GOODBYE JULIA, which clinched the Best Feature Film Award; Amr Gamal's THE BURDENED, celebrated for its exceptional cinematography by Mirnal Desai and securing the Best Cinematography Award; and Amjad Al-Rasheed's INSHALLAH A BOY, honored with the festival’s Jury Award.
 
GOODBYE JULIA’s extensive list of accomplishments includes screening at 25 international film festivals and award ceremonies — including the BFI London Film Festival, Septimius Awards, Festival Paysages de Cinéastes, and Chicago International Film Festival — and collecting more than 20 awards, starting with the coveted Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard Freedom Prize and ending with the Cinema for Humanity Audience Award and Variety Magazine's MENA Talent of the Year for director Kordofani at the El Gouna Film Festival.
 
The Sudanese drama was also the country’s official submission for Best Foreign Feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
 
GOODBYE JULIA follows Mona, a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage wracked by guilt after covering up a murder who tries to make amends by taking in the deceased’s southern Sudanese widow, Julia, and her son, Daniel, into her home.
 
Unable to confess her transgressions to Julia, Mona decides to leave the past behind and adjust to a new status quo, unaware that the country’s turmoil may find its way into her home and put her face to face with her sins.
 
Meanwhile, Amjad Al-Rasheed's INSHALLAH A BOY follows the recently widowed Nawal, who has to save her daughter and home following her husband’s death in a society where having a son is a game changer.
 
Previously, the film screened at several prestigious film festivals, including the Karlovy Vary, Melbourne, and Sydney international film festivals, garnering widespread acclaim throughout.
It is also the first Jordanian film to be selected to feature at the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, where it held a historic world premiere and won a Rail d’Or for Best Feature Film and the Gan Foundation Award. Additionally, it was the country’s official submission for Best Foreign Feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
 
As for Amr Gamal's THE BURDENED, it is the first Yemeni film to play in the official selection of the Berlinale and just celebrated its Arab World premiere at the Baghdad Film Festival.
 
Based on true events that took place in Aden around 2019, the film follows the struggles of a married couple and their three children after both husband and wife lose their jobs as a result of the country's economic crisis.
 
After the mother discovers she is carrying a fourth child, the beleaguered parents try to get an abortion despite their community's conservative stance, forcing the family to make tough decisions in order to survive.
 
Following a triumphant world premiere at the Berlinale’s Panorama Section, where it won the Amnesty International Film Award and the second place Audience Award, THE BURDENED went on to screen at several prestigious film festivals and win numerous awards, including the Best Screenplay Award at Durban, Best Directing and Best Screenplay Jury Awards at Valencia, a Special Jury Award for Best Film at the Taipei Film Festival, and Gold Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival.