Two documentary films distributed by MAD Solutions got officially selected at the 9th ALFILM - Arab Film Festival Berlin (April 11- 18, 2018). The Jordanian documentary 17 by Widad Shafakoj is going to be screened at the Official Competition, while the Lebanese documentary Room for a Man by Anthony Chidiac is going to open the Spotlight section, which presents films addressing Arab masculinities.

ALFILM - Arab Film Festival Berlin is organized by the association makan - Center for Arab Film, Arts and Culture that aims to promote and support Arab cinema. The association acts as an intermediator of a multi-faceted Arabic culture serving its role in an intercultural dialogue through film.

About 17:

17 follows the Jordanian under-17 women's football team as they prepare for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Jordan 2016. Coming from different backgrounds, each of the girls has faced a different set of challenges as a national team player. But now they come together to face their biggest challenge yet. 17 is a social exploration into the lives of young women who are passionate about a sport they have been told was only for men. Will Anoud make it in the final squad? Will Leen be ready to play in this world-class event with so little time to prepare? Will the odds finally start working for the team?

17 is directed by Widad Shafakoj, produced by Muna Fityani and distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions. During 2017, the film screened at the Carthage Film Festival (JCC) in Tunisia and Arab Film Festival in California, USA.

About Room for a Man

The film follows a young gay filmmaker who shares a Beirut apartment with his mother and pet dog attempts to reconstruct his identity by renovating his bedroom. But as the Syrian construction workers come and go in the freshly embattled household, new questions, old arguments and unexpected passions get stirred. Venturing further, the filmmaker contacts his estranged father to ask about the Argentinian passport he once had as a little boy. After years of separation, father and son embark on a journey to South America in search of family ties. The film is an intimate essay about the meaning of masculinity and a young man's search for acceptance across two continents.

Room for a Man is written and directed by Lebanese filmmaker Anthony Chidiac, produced by Talal Al-Muhanna (Linked Productions) and Carole Abboud (c.cam production), and distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions. The film received production and post-production grants from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) and a production grant from the Screen Institute Beirut. Room for a Man world premiered at the Montreal International Documentary Festival(RIDM) in Canada, within the International Feature competition.