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Fifteen MAD Shorts set to screen at the Middle East Now Festival

14 October 2024

MAD Shorts — the short films division of leading film distribution and PR company MAD Solutions — is sending a whopping 15 films from its impressive slate to screen at the Middle East Now Festival, which is scheduled to run from October 15th to the 20th in Florence, Italy. This collaboration is parallel to MAD Solutions celebrating 15 years since its founding this year.
In celebration of the long-standing collaboration between MAD Solutions and the festival, the films are being presented through three programs titled MAD Stories, where each program follows a unified theme.
The MAD shorts lineup for the Italian festival includes:

Arwa Salem’s Saudi short 1420 follows the story of Samia, who loses her vision and finds solace in music, and Salem who embraces extremism. When their marriage encounters a significant obstacle, it ultimately impacts their daughter Worood.

Passant Ahmed’s Egyptian short PAPA TOLD ME — which is holding its world premiere at the Italian festival — follows ten-year-old Emad who, living with an abusive father, finds solace in his obsession with ice cream, using his imagination to escape the harsh reality and carve out moments of peace.

Mohamed Fawi’s Sudanese short BUZZ follows the story of a sick mother who watches her son and daughter prepare for her inevitable passing and their new reality as her health deteriorates.

Aziz Shennawy’s Tunisian short FORSAKEN follows the captivating journey of Meriem — a 30-year-old woman who embarks on a vacation only to stumble upon the lifeless body of a Sub-Saharan African man right in front of her balcony. Upon discovering the victim's identity, Meriem is faced with a conundrum.

Yazid Eldaly’s Egyptian short HOOKAH follows the story of Badreya — a poor housemaid trapped in an abusive marriage with the unemployed Hassanein. Determined to escape her grim existence, Badreya takes a bold step and buys herself a special gift. However, her husband's discovery of the present sets off a chain of events that unravel the narrative.

Ethar Baamer’s animated Saudi short IN BETWEEN follows a young woman struggling to find her true self. Overwhelmed by societal expectations that dictate how she should look and who she should be, the central character responds by separating into multiple versions of herself, trying on different identities.

Hussein Hijazi’s Lebanese short LEGACY takes place in a troubled country where politicians have drained people's savings; Rabih faces a crisis when his father needs urgent medical care. With time running out and money scarce, Rabih races against the odds to save his father's life.

Majdi El-Omari’s Palestinian short MAR MAMA delves into the story of a young girl haunted by her mother's death and the recurring attacks on her city. Faced with these traumas, she becomes obsessed with death. As her father attempts to distract her by creating a stop-motion film, reality intrudes, and yet, she finds solace in her imagination and fantasies.

Salma Murad’s Saudi short MATCHSTICK follows the story of Osama — a young man caught in a quarrel between his emotions and memory as he tries to find a thread leading to answers. He tries to awaken the part of himself that gives him reason, but his reasoning is brutal, maybe even abusive.

Walid Messnaoui’s Moroccan short NO KEY follows a young burglar named Amine, who in his desperate hunt for a way out of his gloomy existence on the rough streets of Casablanca, discovers a sealed jewelry box that represents his ticket to a brighter future in Europe. However, when other gangs find out what’s in his possession, he must brave their treacherous terrain and face his own demons to keep his dream alive.

Taqwa Ali Naser’s Bahraini short THE GROCERY LIST tells the story of a mini, hidden, weird supermarket where only bottles of milk are displayed. Here, a young man named Jehad, sitting in a shopping cart, rebels against his mother after she rejects a bottle of milk of his own choice. In the end, will he go for his choice that clashes with societal expectations or submit to his mother’s will?

Hayder Dawood’s Saudi short THE LAST WINTER follows Mohsen, who returns to visit his friend Hayder four years after his initial journey to Sweden while being filled with a deep longing for their shared homeland of Saudi Arabia. As they navigate through Hayder’s final winter there, their friendship grows stronger, becoming a source of support and comfort amid a backdrop of longing and change.

Daniela Stephan’s Lebanese short THE SUN SETS ON BEIRUT follows Mounia, who searches for her lost cat among the ruins of the Beirut 2020 port explosion. Joined by her best friend Ghady, who is more interested in flirting with a British journalist, they navigate the remnants of their city on a quest to recover what's been lost.

Firas Al-Taybeh’s Jordanian short THE WOODLAND follows two estranged brothers who find themselves in the untamed wilderness as they embark on a journey to bury their father. Reunited in the wake of tragedy after years of tense separation, the two brothers find themselves at a crossroads where they need to confront their shared past before making a pivotal decision.

Mohammad Gotta’s Jordanian short WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? follows a young artist in his twenties who abandons his family, refusing to submit to social constraints. Depressed, lonely, and stuck in his small derelict studio flat, he stumbles upon his elderly neighbor, a woman neglected by her family and in need of intimacy. Despite their differences, the two develop an unlikely connection through their shared experiences of hardship and love of music.