MAD to send 7 shorts to 6th Cairo International Short Film Festival

release date December 12 2024

Seven short films distributed by MAD Solutions are to participate in the sixth edition of the Cairo International Short Film Festival, which will be running from December 16th to the 22nd, at the Cairo Opera House.

Those screening as part of the festival’s designated International Competition are the Palestinian featurette BORN A CELEBRITY by Loay Awwad, the Lebanese IF THE SUN DROWNED INTO AN OCEAN OF CLOUDS by Wissam Charaf, Sudan’s NOTHING HAPPENS AFTER THAT by Ibrahim Omar, and the Tunisian short film A LULLABY UNLIKE ANY OTHER by Amani Jaafar.

Meanwhile, the films set to compete in the Egyptian Film Competition are A PROMISE TO THE SEA by Hind Suhail and MADONNA by John Fred Zaki.

Also, the Egyptian-Syrian short film LOSS by Rami Al-Qassab is participating in the Youth and Students Competition.

Here’s a brief for each short, along with their screening times at the Cairo Opera House in Tahrir:

Luay Awwad’s BORN A CELEBRITY follows Kamel, a 25-year-old Palestinian who feels confined in his small Palestinian town and close-knit community and embarks on a journey to discover his personal freedom and privacy. The film challenges the dominant portrayal of Palestinians by highlighting the everyday lives and struggles of young adults while also addressing societal expectations, particularly the pressure to conform to traditional norms, such as marriage.

Written, directed, and edited by Luay Awwad, BORN A CELEBRITY stars Munther Bannourah and Khaled Masso, with cinematography by Nour Abukamal who also produces the film alongside Awwad. BORN A CELEBRITY will screen on Wednesday, December 18th at 7:40 pm as well as on Thursday, December 19th at 6 pm.

IF THE SUN DROWNED IN AN OCEAN OF CLOUDS is an award-winning French-Lebanese featurette by Wissam Charaf, which world premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. The film follows Raed, a security guard who must prevent passersby from reaching the beach. However, as the horizon becomes more enigmatic with the passing days near the construction site, Raed begins to explore himself in every way through unfamiliar encounters; perhaps these are just dreams woven by his desires?

Starring Raed Yassin, Rodrigue Sleiman, Said Serhan, and Hala Dabaji, the short was lensed by Martin Rit, produced by Charlotte Vincent and Katia Khazak, co-produced by Pierre Sarraf, with sound by Emmanuel Zouki and music by The Incompetents. IF THE SUN DROWNED IN AN OCEAN OF CLOUDS screens Tuesday, December 17th at 7:30 pm.

The poignant Sudanese short NOTHING HAPPENS AFTER THAT by Ibrahim Omar is about a father seeking to find a final resting place for his only child, only to face obstacles in the process of doing so. World premiering at the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, it won the Jury Prize from the Ministry of Culture and Science. The film then premiered to the Arab World at the Cairo International Film Festival. NOTHING HAPPENS AFTER THAT screens Friday, December 20th at 7:30 pm.

Amani Jaafer’s A LULLABY UNLIKE ANY OTHER follows Nour, a young Palestinian woman pursuing her studies in Sweden. She wanders the streets of Stockholm recalling distant memories; retracing her steps, she reminisces over the trauma inflicted by the occupation, the memories of her family, and a lullaby long since lost.

Starring Leen Hashisho, Fatma Jouda, and Ezzedine Ibrahim, the film was lensed by Harshad Gaikwad, composed by Nour Cherif, and sound mixed by Yazid Chebbi. A LULLABY UNLIKE ANY OTHER is set to screen on Friday, December 20th, at 6 pm.

Fred Zaki’s MADONNA stars Abdel Aziz Makhioun and Karim Qassem. It takes place inside one of the Latin Catholic monasteries in Alexandria, where a crime of stealing an ancient painting turns into an intellectual dilemma between two Jesuit priests. The suspicion falls on the convent's cook, whose daughter needs to undergo surgery that she cannot afford. MADONNA screens Thursday, December 19th at 8 pm.

A PROMISE TO THE SEA, directed by Hind Suhail, follows Zain, who, in a fit of grief, steals his mother's body during the burial preparations in order to fulfill a dream of hers she couldn't achieve in life. Zain drives away from his small, humble village to embark on a journey that will change his life forever, with an unlikely companion in tow; a dog.

The film recently won the Gouna Star for Best Short Film at its Arab World premiere at the El Gouna Film Festival. It stars Nabil Botros Talaan, is lensed by the renowned Mostafa El Kashef, and produced by Nourhan Yasser. A PROMISE TO THE SEA is screening on Tuesday, December 17th at 6 pm.

And last but certainly not least, we have LOSS, an Egyptian-Syrian film by Rami Al-Qassab. Based on true events, the story follows a group of migrants as they journey into Egypt inside the back of a pick-up truck. En route, in the middle of the desert, they crash; resulting in a loss that alters everything. The film is set to have its world premiere at the Carthage Film Festival before screening at Cairo Shorts on Friday, December 20th at 6 pm.