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MAD Film THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE Screens at Zawya
20 April 2025
Zawya Cinema invites Egyptian audiences to experience one of the most talked-about films of the year, THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE, screening for a full week starting April 23rd. THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE is distributed by MAD and will be shown outside of the festival circuit in Egypt for the first time.
MAD Distribution title THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE takes viewers to the idyllic setting of a Somali village, as a recently reunited family must navigate between their dreams and the complexities of societal expectations. We are treated to the village's charming heart, immersed in the lives of the residents as they pursue their hopes against the rolling tides.
Written and directed by Mo Harawe, THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE marks his feature directorial debut. The film stars Ahmed Ali Farah, Ahmed Mahmoud Suleiman, and Anab Ahmed Ibrahim. It was edited by Joana Scrinzi, who won Best Film Editing at the Austrian Film Awards for her work on the multi-award-winning GREAT FREEDOM, with Noor Abdulkadir handling production design. The film recently received two major awards at the Diagonale Austrian Film Festival: Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography, the latter of which was awarded to Egyptian DOP Mostafa El Kashef.
THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE, the first Somali film to screen at Cannes, marks El Kashef’s debut as a feature film cinematographer. He returns to the festival this May with his latest project, AISHA CAN’T FLY.
With THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE, MAD Distribution continues its mission of spotlighting bold, boundary-pushing stories from across the Arab and African worlds, while championing homegrown talent like El Kashef on the international stage.
MAD Distribution title THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE takes viewers to the idyllic setting of a Somali village, as a recently reunited family must navigate between their dreams and the complexities of societal expectations. We are treated to the village's charming heart, immersed in the lives of the residents as they pursue their hopes against the rolling tides.
Written and directed by Mo Harawe, THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE marks his feature directorial debut. The film stars Ahmed Ali Farah, Ahmed Mahmoud Suleiman, and Anab Ahmed Ibrahim. It was edited by Joana Scrinzi, who won Best Film Editing at the Austrian Film Awards for her work on the multi-award-winning GREAT FREEDOM, with Noor Abdulkadir handling production design. The film recently received two major awards at the Diagonale Austrian Film Festival: Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography, the latter of which was awarded to Egyptian DOP Mostafa El Kashef.
THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE, the first Somali film to screen at Cannes, marks El Kashef’s debut as a feature film cinematographer. He returns to the festival this May with his latest project, AISHA CAN’T FLY.
With THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE, MAD Distribution continues its mission of spotlighting bold, boundary-pushing stories from across the Arab and African worlds, while championing homegrown talent like El Kashef on the international stage.
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