This Monaco-based NGO, which aims to discover, develop and connect talented filmmakers from emerging regions across the world with established professionals in the film industry, has become an essential beacon of support for Arab cinema. At this year’s Cannes, where IEFTA will also be sponsoring the ACC Critics Awards for Arab Films along with Neom, four projects that received early support from the organization have now been chosen for one of the festival’s various networking and pitching sidebars. They are: THE LAST TEARS OF THE DECEASED (Ethiopa); HAMLET FROM THE SLUMS (Egypt); AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY ANYMORE (Egypt) and THE PORTAL (Palestine); Outside IEFTA, Marco directed an Arab feature documentary BEYOND THE RAGING SEA, distributed by MAD Solutions, sold to Rotana Studios and available on the Shahid platform.