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Pan-Arab distributor Mad Solutions and Egyptian multihyphenate Haitham Dabbour’s Irth platform dedicated to supporting standout writers across the Arab world announced a strategic partnership on Saturday at the Venice
Film Festival that aims to boost quality content output from the region.
Under the pact, Mad Solutions and Irth will jointly “develop, package and support film, television and other entertainment projects from across the Arab world for regional and international markets,” they said in a statement.
The Irth platform initiative – that was officially launched during the 2025 Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia – is the first collaborative writers’ room bringing together writers from Egypt and Saudi Arabia and beyond.
Cairo-based Mad Solutions, which was established in 2010 by its two co-founders, Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, comprises a network of specialized outfits that include Mad World, focussed on international sales of Arab films; Mad Distribution, which handles sales and distribution of Arab films across the Arab world; and Mad Celebrity, providing full talent management and representation for both on-and off-screen Arab talent.
MAD Solutions and Irth are now developing a pipeline spanning original Arabic projects, some of which are talent-driven, as well as third-party development and consultancy assignments. The first projects germinated from the partnership will be announced, they said.
The partnership announcement comes just as Mad Solutions marks a significant presence in Venice this year, with two films launching on the Lido. “Al Baraneya,” a rural Egyptian family’s story directed by Egypt’s Ashgan El-Hamus, screening in Venice Days, and Palestinian drama “Conversations with the Sea,” directed by Muayad Alayan, screening in the Venice Spotlight section.
MAD will also present its annual award at the Final Cut in Venice platform, which supports films from Africa and the Arab world through post-production and international industry opportunities.
Dabbour is a bestselling Egyptian author whoser novels include “Devoured by Seven Lean Cows” and “Moses Cross.” His screenwriting credits include Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival prizewinner “Gunshot” and “The Tale of Ahl El Daye,” which in 2025 had its European bow in the Berlinale’s Generation section.
“Irth has always been about bringing strong writers and different Arab voices together and giving ideas the development they need,” Dabbour in a statement. “Mad’s 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.”
Commented Mad Solutions co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab: “Development is a key part of Mad’s 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.”
