The films include 'Between Heaven and Earth' by Najwa Najjar, 'Haifa Street' by Mohanad Hayal.
MAD Solutions has sent four films from its distribution list at the 10th Malmo Arab Film Festival, which is scheduled to take place from October 8 to 10 in Sweden. The films include Between Heaven and Earth by Najwa Najjar, Haifa Street by Mohanad Hayal, and two short films Give up the Ghost by Zain Duraie and Barakat by Manon Nammour.
Written and directed by Palestinian filmmaker Najwa Najjar, Between Heaven and Earth follows a thirty-something couple, Salma and Tamer, who have been married for the past five years, and living in the Palestinian Territory. The first time Tamer is ever given a three-day permit to cross the Israeli checkpoint is to file for divorce in the courts in Nazareth. At the courthouse, they are confronted with a staggering discovery, a secret which sends Salma and Tamer spinning on a road trip exploring the loss and betrayal of the past, and of themselves.
The film won the Naguib Mahfouz Award for Best Screenplay at the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). The film has also screened within the European Film Market at Berlin International Film Festival.
Set in Baghdad in 2006, Haifa Street follows Ahmed who is dropped off at the street by a taxi on his way to his beloved Suad’s house to ask for her hand in marriage. He gets shot by Salam, an anxious young sniper who is living his own personal hell on a rooftop above. Suad desperately tries to save Ahmed, but Salam prevents anyone from approaching him under the threat of gunfire. When her daughter Nadia elicits the help of their cunning neighbour, Dalal, all hell breaks loose under the ominous presence of the American occupation.
Reaping eight international awards, Haifa Street stars Asad Abdulmajeed, Ali Thamer, Yumna Marwan, and Iman Abdulhassan, and produced by Sumerian Dream Productions.
Give up the Ghost tells the story of Salam whose dreams of becoming a mother shatters when she finds out that she is unable to have children with her husband. The film has won the Vimeo Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs International ShortFest, El Gouna Star for the Best Arab Short Film and the Jury Award at the Indian World Film Festival.
Barakat is set in the modern Beirut and revolves around the people who have lost their anchors towards a memoryless relationship. Vacant luxury stores and overpriced unoccupied apartments have made the rebuilt city a costly monument of vanity, commodified heritage, and social delusion.
Written and directed by Manon Nammour, Barakat stars Mounir Maasri, Rudy Ghafari and Camile Salame. The film also took part in Toronto International Film Festival, Tampere Film Festival, Glasgow Short Film Festival, and International Short Film Festival of Cyprus.
Malmo Arab Film Festival is a platform that exposures the Arab culture in the Nordic countries. Featuring around 75 films within its official competition, the festival’s particoloured programmes offer special events, including a panorama dedicated for films made by women and another for films within Skåne region.
Moreover, Malmo Arab Film Festival organises workshops and seminars that focus on the film industry affairs and serves as a meeting point for like-minded Sweden and Arab audiences, as well as filmmakers, critics and superstars.
