MAD Solutions' Weldi and Dreamaway at the Official Competition of El Gouna Film Festival

Two films distributed by MAD Solutions,in the Arab world, have been selected for their Arab world premiere at the Official Competition of the 2^nd El Gouna Film Festival (20 - 28 September). The two MAD films are Weldi by director Mohamed Ben Attia and Dreamaway by directors Marouan Omara andJohanna Domke.

 

Located on the shores of the Red Sea, Egypt, El Gouna Film Festival has been highly regarded as an important film hub for Arab filmmakers since the launch of its first edition in 2017. In its second edition, the Festival boasts a roster of award-winning films that have been part of prestigious film festivals, such as Cannes Film Festival, Berlinale, and Sundance International Film Festival, just to name a few. Born with the aim to highlight the role played by films in promoting cultural interaction and encouraging dialogue between creative intellect and talent, the utmost goal of El Gouna Film Festival is to generate opportunities for development and support for all contemporary forms of creative expressions, especially between young generations from the Arab world and their international counterparts.

 

Weldi 

 

Weldi follows Riadh, who is about to retire from his work as a forklift operator at the port of Tunis. The life he shares with his wife Nazli revolves around their only son Sami, who is preparing for his high school exams. The boy's repeated migraine attacks are a cause of much worry to his parents. But when he finally seems to be getting better, Sami suddenly disappears.

 

Written and directed by Mohamed Ben Attia, Weldi is produced by Dora Bouchoucha's Nomadis Images, Les Films du Fleuve and Tanit Films. The film stars Mohamed Dhrif, Mouna Mejri, Zakaria Ben Ayed, Imen Cherif, Taylan Mintas and Tarik Copti. The film is distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world.

 

Dreamaway

 

Representing freedom and easy cash, Sharm El Sheikh has long been a dream destination for Egyptian youth. Recently, terror attacks have brought tourism in the resort town to a halt. Dreamaway follows a group of young employees of a luxury hotel compound, where clichés and stereotypes of Western and Oriental cultures clash. This carousel-like experience elevates the youths into a dreamlike state.

 

Directed by Marouan Omara and Johanna Domke, Dreamaway is produced by Roman Roitman, (Monokel/Germany), Mark Lotfy (Fig Leaf Studio/Egypt) and Marouan Omara and Arne Birkenstock(Fruitmarket Kultur und Medien/Germany). The film received the support of from the Doha Film Institute and the Arab Fund for the Arts and Culture (AFAC), in co-production with WDR and supported by Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, the IDFA Bertha Europe Fund, Catapult Film Fund, Hot Docs Blue Ice Fund, Berlinale Talents Doc Station Prize, Beirut Cinema Platform and Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie Prize. MAD Solutions is handling the film's distribution through the Arab world.

 

Dreamaway landed its world premiere at the 53^rd edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festivalin the Czech Republic where it competed within the festival's Official Competition, in addition to landing its Arab world premiere at El Gouna Film Festival.