MAD Solutions, a prominent film distributor, has acquired the Arab rights to the abortion-themed Yemeni drama “The Burdened,” which is among the ongoing works shown at the Red Sea Market project market in Saudi Arabia.
Produced and directed by Amr Gamal, “The Overburdened” won an award among works in progress at the Industry Department of Karlovy Vary International. Film Festival in July.
The story, written by Jamal and Mazen Refaat, is about Ahmed, Esraa and their three children in Aden, Yemen, in 2019. It is based on real events that the director experienced with one of his close friends. Due to the economic crisis in the country, both parents lost their jobs. The drama begins with Israa learning about her fourth pregnancy at a time when they are unable to cover the expenses of their newborn, which leads them to make difficult decisions, amidst their society’s conservative stance, in order to survive.
Burdened will be Jamal’s sophomore after his 2018 debut 10 Days Before the Wedding, a drama about the obstacles caused by the 2015 Yemen war that stand in the way of a young couple’s marriage. It was the first locally produced film in Yemen in years, and it was a huge hit with local audiences.
The project, now in a post, brings together Yemen, Sudan and Saudi Arabia in a historic co-production. “The Weighted” starring Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Muhammad, Samah Al-Amrani, Osam Abdel-Rahman.
“I was fortunate to be able to work on the film with a variety of nationalities in addition to the Yemeni cast,” Jamal said in a statement. The director added, “I had the honor of cooperating with actors and producers from Sudan, Egypt, India, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and Taiwan,” noting that the pic “is a modest dream of young people from Aden that culminated in a film shared by filmmakers from all over the world, And the dream continues.”
This global mix of talents has been part of the appeal of MAD Solutions. “We are thrilled to have secured the distribution rights to this groundbreaking and heart-rending story,” said co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab. They added, “It is perfectly compatible with the company’s philosophy of aggressively seeking filmmakers with great creative potential and projects that bridge diverse cultures.”
“The Burdens” was co-produced by Mohsen Al-Khulaifi, Mohamed Al-Amda, and Amjad Abu Al-Alaa, the Sudanese director who directed the multi-award-winning drama “You Will Die at Twenty,” which in 2020 was the first Sudanese participation in the Oscars.
Headquartered in Cairo, with offices in the UAE, Portugal and New York, MAD Solutions is the leading global distributor of Arabic films and also operates one of the best promotional agencies and management companies for Arab creative talent.
Since 2021, they have distributed more than 100 films, two-thirds of which are shows, across the Arabic-speaking world and in international markets.
[ad_2]
