Two shorts from MAD Solutions' distribution slate — Nejib Kthiri’s TRINOU and Ward Kayyal’s HAMZA: CHASING THE GHOST CHASING ME — will be featuring and competing at the Sultanbeyli International Short Film Competition, which is set to take place at the Sultanbeyli District in Istanbul, Turkey, from November 23rd to the 26th.
 
Nejib Kthiri’s British-Tunisian short TRINOU tells the story of 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.
 
The British-Tunisian short was written and directed by Nejib Kthiri, lensed by Jamie Touche, and edited by Christian Radclyffe. The film is a co-production between Seventh Age Pictures Limited, SVP Tunisia, and London Film & TV, with MAD Solutions handling the film’s worldwide sales and distribution.
 
TRINOU World premiered at the Cairo International Film Festival and received a Special Mention at the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival, as well as winning a Jury Award for Best Short Arab Film at the Amman International Film Festival and getting a Special Mention for Best Actor at Avanca International Film Festival among other things.
 
As for Ward Kayyal’s Palestinian drama HAMZA: CHASING THE GHOST CHASING ME, the short film tells the story of Hamza — a middle-aged man who refuses to abandon a routine he has kept since his release from Israeli jail; every day, he goes into the woods to hunt a lion that the locals don't believe exists. 
 
The film — which World premiered at the Cairo International Film Festival — is headlined by award-winning actor Kamel El-Basha, alongside Ruba Blal, Motaz Malhes, and Khulood Basel.
 
Also, the Palestinian drama was produced by Hiba Salameh of Hiba Production, written by Majd Kayyal, lensed by Ashraf Dowani, and edited by Saed Andoni. 
 
HAMZA: CHASING THE GHOST CHASING ME competed at the Cairo Shorts, Malmö, Casablanca, Amman, and Toronto Arab Film Festivals, and featured in the Clermont-Ferrand, Reel Palestine, San Diego Arab, Bahrain, Cine-Palestine, and Sharm El-Sheikh film festivals.