The Asia Pacific Screen Awards has chosen films from Palestine and Jordan for nominations in two distinct categories.
MAD Solutions has received nominations for two films from its distribution slate at the upcoming Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), scheduled to take place in Australia from November 1 to 4. The films receiving these nominations are Muayad Alayan’s A House in Jerusalem, nominated for Best Youth Film, and Amjad Al-Rasheed’s Inshallah a Boy, nominated for Best Performance.
A House in Jerusalem, a Palestinian drama directed by Muayad Alayan and co-written with his brother Rami Alayan, recently made headlines by securing a spot at the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). The film will have its Arab premiere as part of CIFF’s Midnight’s Screening section.
The cast includes Johnny Harris, Makran Khoury, Souad Feres, Miley Locke, and Sheherazade Makhoul Farrell. The story follows the journey of young Rebecca, who relocates with her father from the UK to Jerusalem in search of a fresh start following her mother’s untimely passing. Upon settling in an old house in the neighbourhood known as the Valley of the Ghosts, a series of mysterious occurrences transpire, with Rebecca taking the blame. As she delves deeper into the secrets of the house and the mystical city of Jerusalem, Rebecca embarks on an enigmatic journey to discover the hidden truths lurking in the shadows.
The film was co-produced by PalCine Productions in Palestine, Wellington Films and Cocoon Film in the UK, Red Balloon Films and ZDF/ARTE in Germany, Metafora Production in Qatar, and KeyFilms in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, MAD Solutions is managing the distribution of the film in the Arab world, while Heretic manages it worldwide.
On the other hand, Inshallah a Boy, Jordan’s official submission for Best Foreign Film at the 96th Academy Awards, achieved international acclaim with its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics Week—a historic moment as the first Jordanian feature film to do so. The film received prestigious accolades, including the Gan Foundation Award and the Rail d’Or Award for Best Feature Film at Cannes.
The story revolves around Nawal, a recent widow, who must navigate the challenges of preserving her daughter and home in a society where having a son is a game changer.
Directed by Amjad Al-Rasheed and co-written by Delphine Agut and Rula Nasser, the film features Mouna Hawa, Haitham Omari, Salwa Nakkara, Yumna Marwan, Mohammad Al-Jizawi, Islam Al-Awadi, and Celina Rabab’a. Production credits go to The Imaginarium Films (Rula Nasser and Aseel Abu Ayyash), with co-production by Bayt Al-Shawareb (Youssef Abdelnabi) and George Films (Raphaël Alexandre and Nicolas Leprêtre), and associate production by Alaa Karkouti, Maher Diab, and Shahinaz El-Akkad.
MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production handle the film’s distribution in the Arab world, while Pyramide International handles international sales.
