The Toronto Arab Film Festival began in 2017 to address the absence of Arab films in Toronto's film programming.
MAD Solutions is set to present six short films from its distribution slate at the fifth edition of the Toronto Arab Film Festival (TAF), which will take place from June 20 to 30, 2024. The festival aims to showcase and promote pan-Arab films by Arab filmmakers from around the globe.
The lineup includes 60 Egyptian Pounds, The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry, Conditional Desire, No Key, The Poem We Sang, and Beneath a Mother’s Feet. The first four shorts will be screened at Toronto’s Innis Town Hall, while the latter two will be available to watch online on the festival’s website.
The first three shorts in the lineup will be screened as part of the same Short Film Programme on Saturday, June 22, at 7 pm, while No Key will be featured in another programme on Thursday, June 27, at the same time slot.
60 Egyptian Pounds by Amr Salama follows aspiring rapper Ziad and his family, who have suffered at the hands of his abusive father. When tensions reach a boiling point, Ziad takes matters into his own hands to end his family’s suffering.
The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry by Faris Alrjoob, one of the first two Jordanian films to make it to Cannes, follows Ida, who travels to the site of her partner’s disappearance in an attempt to feel his presence one last time. The film recently won the Best Connecting Cultures Film Award at the Ghent International Short Film Festival and the Gouna Film Festival’s Silver Star for Short Films.
Conditional Desire by Houcem Slouli is a 15-minute Tunisian drama about Ahmed and Salma, who grapple with societal expectations and their own happiness. The film has previously been featured in the Short Film Competition of the Silicon Valley African Film Festival and won the Best Short Film Award at Turkey’s Accessible Film Festival.
No Key by Walid Messnaoui follows young burglar Amine, who discovers a sealed jewellery box that could be his ticket to a brighter future. The film premiered at the Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival and has won 11 awards, including five from the Indie Short Fest – Los Angeles International Film Festival.
The Poem We Sang by Annie Sakkab is a documentary short that follows a Palestinian director ruminating on generational trauma and forced migration, transforming lifelong regrets into a healing journey. The film premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and has toured several festivals, including the Vancouver and Norwegian Short Film festivals.
Beneath a Mother’s Feet by Elias Suhail follows Wedad, a young mother burdened by the weight of motherhood and family duty, moving through her days with quiet resilience and a yearning for something beyond the confines of her existence.
These six films highlight MAD Solutions’ commitment to showcasing diverse stories from the Arab world at Toronto’s Arab Film Festival.
