Within the activities of the 53rd edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) unveiled the news on launching the MAD 3ARABI (Arab Flow) in Prague, Czech Republic. The news was highlighted by the Screen Daily and Hollywood Reporter magazines as a festival which activities include programmes to introduce the Arab culture and focus on the film and TV industry flowing Arab entertainment and culture onto European shores, and also providing an extension for Arab filmmakers and content creators in the entertainment industry to reach new shores.
The festival is being headed by Film Analyst Alaa Karkouti, CEO of MAD Solutions and Co-founder of the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) who speaks to The Hollywood Reporter on this step saying, "MAD 3ARABI (Arab Flow) is a festival for cinema, culture and Arabic content.It is a new development for the ACC's initiatives that aim to promote the Arab culture around the world through different activities."
The Arab Cinema Center is located annually in more than 20 international film festivals and markets, in addition to the issuance of the Arab Cinema Magazine in English language tointroduce the news about the Arab film industry, alongside its partnerships with prestigious film festivals and international institutions such as; International Film Festival Rotterdam - IFFR, Málaga Film Festival, Mar del Plata International Film Festival, and Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), among others. Furthermore, the Center launched initiatives including; the LatinArab Co-Production Forum, Annual Critics Awards, Arab Cinema Personality of the Year, Achievement Award for Film Critics, and other initiatives.
Karkouti adds to Screen Daily, "Prague is the first city to host the festival and we plan to spread it in other cities in the Czech Republic and around the world in the future."
Maher Diab, the Creative Director and Co-founder of the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) and MAD Solutions alongside Abdallah Al Shami, the Managing Partner and GCC Representative at MAD Solutions, are the Artistic Directors of the festival, and the Iranian Filmmaker Kaveh Daneshmand is the festival's Managing Director.
Maher Diab comments: "MAD 3ARABI (Arab Flow) is continuing the ACC's strategy to create new windows for Arab films worldwide and to broaden the base of the international audiences, in addition to creating opportunities for releasing these films."
Abdallah Al Shami speaks about the festival's strategy, saying: "MAD 3ARABI (Arab Flow) will work with all the ACC's partners from institutions, festivals, filmmaking companies and others to promote the Arab cinema more effectively, especially in countries or cities that do not have any Arab cinematic and cultural activities."
In his statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Kaveh Daneshmand, says, "Arab cinema is on a constant rise for years now, and more than ever before, a well curated presentation of the works of Arab filmmakers has become essential internationally. MAD 3ARABI (Arab Flow) is indeed a major step forward towards achieving this goal. Knowing the strong potential niche in Czech Republic for this type of exquisite cinematography, Prague will be the perfect launching point for the first edition of this unique festival of Arab cinema."
Taking off in October 2018, MAD 3ARABI (Arab Flow) is indeed a major step forward towards achieving this goal. Knowing the strong potential niche in Czech Republic for this type of exquisite cinematography, Prague will indeed be the perfect launching point for the first edition of this unique festival of Arab cinema.
Launching its first edition from October 31 to November 4, MAD 3ARABI (Arab Flow) is organized by MAD Solutions and the Iranian Film Festival. The festival is planned to be held in Prague annually, with other geographical expansions.
Organized by MAD Solutions in 2015, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes. The ACC also provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others. The Center's activities vary between film market main wings, introduction and networking sessions for Arab and foreign filmmakers, welcome parties, as well as meetings with international organizations and festivals, and the issuance of the Arab Cinema Magazine to be distributed at the leading international film festivals and markets.
Furthermore, newsletter subscription is now available on the ACC's website, allowing users to obtain digital copies of the Arab Cinema Magazine, as well as news on the ACC's activities, notifications of application dates for grants, festivals and offers from educational and training institutions, updates on Arab films participating at festivals, exclusive news on the Arab Cinema LAB, and highlights from the ACC partners and their future projects.
The ACC also launched an English-language Arab Cinema Guide, available on its website, which is a comprehensive cinematic guide that comprises a variety of tools presented collectively for the first time to offer information on Arab cinema to filmmakers inside and outside of the Arab world. It also aims to facilitate filmmakers' access to international markets and help film industry representatives to easily identify Arab film productions.
