The documentary filmmaker Uga Carlini makes her feature film debut with 'Angeliena'.
Mad Solutions has acquired the distribution rights of South African feature film Angeliena by director/producer Uga Carlini.
Last month (October), Netflix launched Angeliena on its streaming service worldwide. The cast includes Kuli Roberts, Thapelo Mokoena, Nicole Madell, Marciel Hopkins, Schalk Bezuidenhout, Sandra Prinsloo, Tshamano Sebe, June van Merch, Colin Moss, and Toya Delazy, with Euodia Samson starring as ‘Angeliena’.
Set in modern-day, post-apartheid South Africa, a local hospital’s much-loved parking attendant, Angeliena, dares to put her lifelong dream of travelling the world into motion, when she is diagnosed with a fatal disease.
Angeliena is the debut feature film from award-winning documentary filmmaker, Uga Carlini, founder of South Africa-based Towerkop Creations, which specialises in telling female-driven stories.
The arrangement is part of Mad’s commitment to showcasing diverse stories and voices from beyond the Arab region. There are considerably lower subscription numbers for streaming services such as Netflix in the Arab world compared to elsewhere, making the distribution across TV networks and cinema vital for raising the visibility of more independent content, according to the company.
Meriame Deghedi, Distribution manager, Mad Solutions, said: “We have been following Uga since her previous work Alison, and we’re so proud to be working with such a talented and original director. Beyond Uga’s name on the film, this is a really touching, universal human story that will resonate with so many people across the world even though it comes from a specific culture.”
“I’m delighted that a forward-thinking company such as Mad Solutions has selected Angeliena – it’s an honour to be working with them,” added director/producer, Uga Carlini.
A Towerkop Creations production in association with the NFVF, DTIC, and Mad Solutions with SAFTA winning producer, Dumi Gumbi, consulting producers Vlokkie Gordon and Himesh Kar, and executive producers Erik Toft, Rudolf Buitendach, Anton Nel, Faizal Cader, and Khulekani Dlamini; tells the story of Angeliena through humour and heartbreak.
Mad Solutions distributes international film and TV across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine.
