Entertainment <\/p>\n
\n\tCairo-based film and talent group MAD Solutions<\/a> has announced a strategic partnership with Egyptian author, screenwriter and producer Haitham Dabbour\u2019s pan-Arab drama development and production company IRTH.<\/p>\n \n\tThe partnership will bring their complementary strengths together to develop, package and support film, TV drama and other entertainment projects from across the Arab world for regional and international markets.<\/p>\n \n\tLaunched in 2010 by Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, MAD Solutions is known for its expertise in marketing and distributing Arab films, as well as for looking after Middle East and North African talents under its MAD Celebrity banner. It has also entered international sales in the recent years and as well as getting involved in development and production.<\/p>\n \n\tIRTH specializes in the creation and development for all types of drama content \u2013 spanning films, TV series, and plays \u2013 in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n \n\tThe strategic partnership will connect IRTH\u2019s growing development operation and network of writers and creative professionals with MAD Solutions\u2019 regional and international network across distribution and sales, talent management, production, and PR and marketing.<\/p>\n \n\tUnder the partnership, Mad Solutions and IRTH will develop original films, television series and other formats, including projects built around talent represented by MAD Celebrity. <\/p>\n \n\tThey will also work with third-party producers and projects requiring development support \u2014 from early-stage writing and creative consultancy to rewriting, script doctoring and preparing material for regional and international markets.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIRTH has always been about bringing strong writers and different Arab voices together and giving ideas the development they need,\u201d said Dabbour. \u00a0\u201cMAD\u2019s regional and international reach gives us the opportunity to take that work further and open new possibilities for the projects and writers we work with.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe bestselling author is known for novels including \u2018Devoured by Seven Lean Cows\u2019 and \u2018Moses Cross\u2019, while his screenwriting credits include El Gouna prizewinner Gunshot<\/em> and The Tale of Ahl El Day<\/em>e, which had its European premiere at the Berlinale\u2019s Generation programme.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cDevelopment is a key part of MAD\u2019s regional and international expansion, and IRTH brings a strong creative infrastructure and a diverse network of Arab writers to that strategy. Together, we can originate projects while also offering filmmakers and producers the development support they need to strengthen existing ones,\u201d said Karkouti and Diab.<\/p>\n \n\tFor MAD Celebrity, the partnership also creates a more direct route between talent management and project creation.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe don\u2019t only want to find opportunities for our talent; we want to help create them,\u201d said Kareem Samy, executive director of MAD Celebrity. \u201cWorking with IRTH allows us to bring talent into the creative process much earlier and develop projects around distinctive voices and capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMAD Solutions and IRTH are developing a pipeline spanning original projects, talent-driven projects and third-party development and consultancy assignments, with the first projects from the partnership to be announced separately.<\/p>\n \n\tThe strategic partnership was announced at the Venice<\/a> Film Festival, where MAD Solutions has a presence this year as the sales agent for Giornate degli Autori title Al Baraneya<\/em><\/a> and involvement in Conversations with the Sea<\/em> in the Venice Spotlight section.<\/p>\n \n\tMAD will also present its annual award at Final Cut in Venice, marking the 12th year of the company\u2019s support for the development and co-financing program focused on films from Africa and the Arab world through post-production and international industry opportunities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\tWatch on Deadline\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n