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Two MAD films to screen at the 22nd Chicago Palestine Film Festival
26 April 2023
MAD Solutions, the most prolific film distribution agency in the MENA region, is sending two films from its distribution slate to screen at the 22nd Chicago Palestine Film Festival, which will be running from April 29th to May 14th — ALAM by Firas Khoury and Hamza Al-Khatib’s short SAMIA.
SAMIA is about a young aspiring dancer who is diagnosed with cancer. After undergoing treatment, she begins the tough journey of mental and physical changes that cause her to withdraw from life and isolate herself, while her husband tries to bring her out of her isolation by supporting her and attempting to lift her spirits up with music.
Written and directed by Hamza Al-Khatib, SAMIA stars Hayat Abu Samra as Samia and Is’haq Elias as Samia’s husband and will be screened on Wednesday, May 3rd at 6 pm at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
ALAM will then screen a few days later on Friday, May 5th at 8 pm at the same venue.
The film is written and directed by Firas Khoury, stars Mahmood Bakri, Sereen Khass, Saleh Bakri, Mohammad Karaki, Ahmad Zaghmouri, and Muhammad Abed Elrahman and follows Tamer and his friends, who lead typical teenage lives until one day, he is swept off his feet by the arrival of the beautiful Maysaa. As he grows closer to her, Tamer agrees to take part in a mysterious and life-changing operation dubbed ‘Alam.’
ALAM had its Arab world premiere at the 2022 Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), succeeding with flying colors and taking home three awards at the festival’s closing, those being the Golden Pyramid Award — the festival's top accolade for outstanding films in the international competition — the Best Actor Award for Palestinian actor Mahmood Bakri, and Youssef Cherif Rizkallah's Audience Award.
The movie then held its world premiere at the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival's Contemporary World Cinema Category and featured at the Rome Film Festival.
Aside from the awards it won at the CIFF, ALAM has garnered several other accolades throughout its ongoing festival run, including the Best Debut Feature Film Award at the Tetouan Mediterranean Film Festival, Young Jury Award at the Brussels’ Cinemamed Festival, Best Asian Film Award at the 27th International Film Festival of Kerala, where the director Firas Khoury also received the Rajata Chakoram for Best Debut Director.
SAMIA is about a young aspiring dancer who is diagnosed with cancer. After undergoing treatment, she begins the tough journey of mental and physical changes that cause her to withdraw from life and isolate herself, while her husband tries to bring her out of her isolation by supporting her and attempting to lift her spirits up with music.
Written and directed by Hamza Al-Khatib, SAMIA stars Hayat Abu Samra as Samia and Is’haq Elias as Samia’s husband and will be screened on Wednesday, May 3rd at 6 pm at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
ALAM will then screen a few days later on Friday, May 5th at 8 pm at the same venue.
The film is written and directed by Firas Khoury, stars Mahmood Bakri, Sereen Khass, Saleh Bakri, Mohammad Karaki, Ahmad Zaghmouri, and Muhammad Abed Elrahman and follows Tamer and his friends, who lead typical teenage lives until one day, he is swept off his feet by the arrival of the beautiful Maysaa. As he grows closer to her, Tamer agrees to take part in a mysterious and life-changing operation dubbed ‘Alam.’
ALAM had its Arab world premiere at the 2022 Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), succeeding with flying colors and taking home three awards at the festival’s closing, those being the Golden Pyramid Award — the festival's top accolade for outstanding films in the international competition — the Best Actor Award for Palestinian actor Mahmood Bakri, and Youssef Cherif Rizkallah's Audience Award.
The movie then held its world premiere at the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival's Contemporary World Cinema Category and featured at the Rome Film Festival.
Aside from the awards it won at the CIFF, ALAM has garnered several other accolades throughout its ongoing festival run, including the Best Debut Feature Film Award at the Tetouan Mediterranean Film Festival, Young Jury Award at the Brussels’ Cinemamed Festival, Best Asian Film Award at the 27th International Film Festival of Kerala, where the director Firas Khoury also received the Rajata Chakoram for Best Debut Director.
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