MAD Solutions and Erth have announced, during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, a new collaboration focused on developing film, television, and entertainment content projects from the Arab world, and preparing them to reach Arab and international markets.
اضافة اعلان
The move draws its significance from focusing on one of the fundamental stages of content production: developing a project before it moves into production, by working on ideas, texts, and scripts, and later connecting projects with producers, studios, platforms, and potential partners.
According to the announcement, the collaboration includes developing original projects as well as ones tied to talent represented by the two companies, alongside offering development services and creative consulting for projects outside the two companies, ranging from crystallizing an idea and writing, to reworking scripts, through to preparing a project for pitching in Arab and international markets.
The first projects resulting from this collaboration are set to be announced progressively, with no exclusive arrangements imposed on participating parties, allowing project creators to work with various production, financing, and distribution entities.
Haitham Dabbour, founder and CEO of Erth, said the collaboration allows both parties to draw on the network of Arab writers and creatives the company works with, alongside MAD Solutions' expertise and relationships in the film industry across the Arab world and internationally.
He added: "Erth has always focused on bringing together distinguished writers and diverse Arab voices, and giving ideas the development they need. MAD Solutions' extensive network across the Arab world and internationally gives us the opportunity to push this work forward and open new horizons for the projects and writers we collaborate with."
For their part, Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, co-founders of MAD Solutions, said content development is part of the company's plans to expand into Arab and international markets, noting that the collaboration with Erth adds to these plans a network of Arab writers and specialized expertise in developing scripts and projects.
They said: "Development is a fundamental pillar of our expansion strategy across the Arab world and internationally, and Erth brings a strong creative infrastructure and a diverse network of Arab writers that joins this strategy. Together, we can create new projects while providing the necessary development support to filmmakers and producers to strengthen existing projects."
The collaboration also extends to MAD Celebrity, MAD Solutions' subsidiary specializing in talent management, opening the door to involving artists and creatives at early stages of developing certain projects, rather than limiting talent management's role to seeking ready-made opportunities once a project is complete.
Karim Sami, Managing Director of MAD Celebrity, said: "We don't just aim to find opportunities for our talent, we want to contribute to creating them. Working with Erth lets us bring talent into the creative process early on and develop projects that grow out of distinctive voices and abilities."
The announcement coincided with the presence of a number of Arab films and projects at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, with participation from Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Morocco, Jordan, and Algeria, spread across film screenings, parallel sections, the film market, and project support and development programs.
MAD Solutions is participating in the festival with two films: "Aataba" ("The Threshold") by director Ashjan Al-Homsi, part of the Critics' Week competition, and "A Dialogue with the Sea" by director Muayad Alayan, selected in the "Venice Spotlight" section.
The company is also, for the twelfth year, presenting its award as part of the "Final Cut" program, which supports films from Africa and the Arab world in post-production stages, and provides them with opportunities to connect with players in the film industry.
Developing Arab Dramatic and Cinematic Projects
Erth works in the fields of original content creation and writing, script development and reworking, alongside offering creative consulting for projects at various stages.
The company relies on a network of writers and creatives from diverse Arab nationalities, in an approach aimed at developing stories and projects from different regions of the Arab world rather than focusing on a single market.
The company is led by Egyptian writer, screenwriter, and producer Haitham Dabbour, who has produced a number of literary and cinematic works, including the novels "Ya'kuluhunna Sab' Ejaaf" ("Seven Lean Years Devour Them"), "Saleeb Moussa" ("Moses's Cross"), and "Hazr Nashr" ("Publication Ban").
In cinema, Dabbour wrote the film "Eyar Nari" ("Live Ammunition"), and also produced the film "Photocopy," and co-wrote and produced the film "Dhay: Seerat Ahl Al-Dhay." His works also include the short film "32B," while his upcoming film "Bahr" ("Sea") is currently in post-production.
MAD Solutions has been working for about sixteen years across a number of areas of the film industry, including production, financing, distribution, marketing, film rights sales, and talent management.
The company's rights library includes more than a thousand cinematic works, and it is headquartered in Cairo, alongside activity in the United Arab Emirates, Lisbon, and New York, with representatives in a number of Arab countries.
The company also established the Arab Cinema Center, which works to support the presence of Arab cinema at international festivals and markets, and participates in the Cannes Film Festival's film market, alongside organizing critics' awards for Arab films.
MAD Celebrity, the company's subsidiary, works in talent management and media relations, developing the professional presence of artists and filmmakers, and helping them take part in international festivals, projects, and professional events.
