Two MAD Films win acclaimed prizes at the International Mediterranean Film Festival in Montpellier

release date October 29 2024

MAD Shorts VIBRATIONS FROM GAZA and AFTER THE SUN made waves at the French town of Montpellier after winning two awards and receiving a special mention, respectively, at the latest edition of the Cinémed Mediterranean Film Festival, which ran from October 18th to 26th.

Directors Rehab Nazzal and Rayane Mcirdi have showcased their impressive merit by telling two distinct stories from the Arab World.

The first of the two, Rayane Mcirdi’s VIBRATIONS FROM Gaza — which screened at Cinemed's Corum-Pasteur Room followed by a Q&A — has started a bit of a streak, walking home with both the La Gazette Audience Award and Ville de Montpellier Young Audience Award at Cinemed after just winning the Best Short Film Award at the recently concluded BFI London Film Festival.

The film offers a glimpse into the lives of deaf children in the besieged and occupied Gaza Strip. Through the voices of children who have grown up under the relentless blockade and repeated Israeli aggression, it vividly conveys how they experience the bombings, destruction, and drone buzz overhead.

The second, AFTER THE SUN, which notably world premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, also garnered a Special Mention at the event.

Written and directed by Rayane Mcirdi, the short film is set in the evocative 1980s and follows a young girl who embarks on her first summer journey without her newlywed sister. Amidst the backdrop of a nostalgic family road trip from France to Algeria, she endeavors to reignite the bonds with her heritage, delving into a homeland rich with cherished memories waiting to be rediscovered.