EXCLUSIVE: Dubai-based MAD World, the newly launched global film sales company, has acquired the worldwide sales rights to Ghassan Salhab’s THE LAST CITY, a film that straddles the line between science fiction and fantastic and imagines a collapsing Beirut in the grip of vampires.

Salhab, born to Lebanese parents living in Senegal, is considered one of Lebanon’s most important filmmakers having directed films that have been selected in the past for the Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Tribeca and Toronto film festivals.

Salhab’s latest project, which is due to start shooting this winter, is divided into five non-consecutive nights that retrace the last weeks of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, now under the sway of vampires in search of new victims who are becoming increasingly rare.

The film is produced by Tania El-Khoury and is a co-production between Khamsin Films (Lebanon) and Les Films de l’Altaï (France) with support from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), CNC (Aide aux Cinémas du Monde), and MAD Solutions, the Cairo independent film distribution studio that has now branched out into film sales with the launch of MAD World at Cannes this year.

MAD Distribution, the company’s MENA distribution division, will handle the distribution and release of The LAST CITY in all Arab-speaking territories.

 “THE LAST CITY is in a way, more than 15 years later, a sequel to my film THE LAST MAN,” explained Salhab. “That film is about a medical examiner who becomes a vampire, and simply vanishes into the night. Since then, others have followed, more and more of them, as Beirut became divided once again. THE LAST CITY is a journey that immerses us in the haunting depths of a city transformed by vampires and divided by its own fragmentation. It's a tale that inevitably resonates with the tumultuous times we live in - and attempts to capture the very essence of the fragility of our human condition.”

Producer El-Khoury expressed her joy at once again collaborating with Salhab: “Ghassan is a unique and visionary filmmaker and he makes every project a journey worth embarking on. This will be a captivating feature and I am happy that MAD Solutions joined us on this adventure. May it be the start of a great collaboration.”

“MAD World was launched to bring the wealth of Arab filmmaking talent and unexpected Arab stories to the international stage” said MAD World co-presidents Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, the two co-founders of MAD Solutions. “It’s our pleasure to work with these culturally rich, talented filmmakers, and especially Ghassan Salhab, who’s one of the most singular Arab filmmakers, with over 15 films ranging from fiction to essay over the last 25 years.”

Added Colin Brown, co-president of MAD World: “Part of our mission at MAD is to broaden the global perception of Arab cinema. Acquiring THE LAST CITY is part of a push by MAD World to handle director-driven titles from across the MENA region that give a distinctive Arab twist to familiar cinematic genres.”

About MAD Solutions:
Founded in 2010, MAD Solutions boasts a rights library in excess of 500 film titles and is prolific in the financing, production, packaging, sales, marketing, and releasing of Arab entertainment that spans the gamut from festival prize-winners to commercial blockbusters. MAD World, Arab cinema first global sales company, is the latest division to be launched by the company; its other divisions include MAD Celebrity, the Arab world’s leading talent promotion agency and MAD Distribution, the MENA region film distribution company that specialized in Arab-language feature films and shorts.