release date November 08 2022
Shawkat Amin Korki's THE EXAM and Erige Sehiri’s UNDER THE FIG TREES buckle up for the 2023 Oscars
Two films from MAD Solutions’ distribution slate have been selected as their country's official submission to the 2023 Academy Awards (Oscars) for Best International Feature Film, which are Shawkat Amin Korki's THE EXAM and Erige Sehiri’s UNDER THE FIG TREES.
Critically acclaimed Kurdish drama THE EXAM by Shawkat Amin Korki has been chosen as Iraq's official submission for Best International Feature Film, while Erige Sehiri's UNDER THE FIG TREES has been chosen as Tunisia's official submission.
Both movies were submitted for the Best International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards, which is scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 12th, 2023.
Sehiri’s debut feature film UNDER THE FIG TREES recently held its Arab world premiere in the 2022 Carthage Film Festival, where it claimed the Silver Tanit Award in the festival’s official competition.
About THE EXAM
The seven-time international award-winning THE EXAM is a joint production between the Kurdistan regional government, Germany, and Qatar, and has won several prestigious awards, including the FIPRESCI Critics Award for Best Film at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the UNFPA Award at the Cairo International Film Festival, and the Best Screenplay Award from the Tirana International Film Festival.
The movie tells the story of Rojin – a young Kurdish woman who is set to take the university's admission exam. Meanwhile, her unhappily married elder sister Shilan will stop at nothing to help her pass the exam and have a chance at an emancipated life. Thus, the sisters inevitably become entangled in a huge network of corruption that connects all parts of society.
Helmed by award-winning director Shawkat Amin Korki and co-written by Iranian screenwriter Mohammad Reza Gohari, THE EXAM stars Avan Jamal, Vania Salar, Hussein Hassan, and Hoshyar Nerwayi.
Korki's most notable triumph is his film MEMORIES ON STONE, which was Iraq's official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.
MAD Solutions is handling THE EXAM’s distribution in the Arab world.
About UNDER THE FIG TREES
Taking place over the course of a day, UNDER THE FIG TREES presents an intergenerational dialogue between a group of teens and older folk as they work the summer harvest, catch feelings, attempt to understand each other, and navigate the complicated terrain of building deeper ties.
Directed by Erige Sehiri and co-written by Ghalya Lacroix and Peggy Hamann, UNDER THE FIG TREES stars Fide Fdhili, Feten Fdhili, Ameni Fdhili, Samar Sifi, and Abdelhak Mrabti.
The film is a joint production between Tunisia’s Henia Production, Switzerland’s Akka Films, France’s Maneki Films, and Germany’s In Good Company.
Frida Marzouk is the DOP and the film’s music is by Amine Bouhafa.
The movie is being distributed globally by Luxbox, while MAD Solutions is handling its distribution and marketing in the Arab world.
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