Rifan Muazin
By Industry Correspondent
In a landmark move that promises to reshape the landscape of Middle Eastern cinema and television, the Venice Film Festival served as the backdrop for a significant strategic partnership. Mad Solutions, the preeminent pan-Arab distribution and talent management powerhouse, announced a formal alliance with Irth, the pioneering writer-focused platform spearheaded by acclaimed Egyptian author and screenwriter Haitham Dabbour. This collaboration, unveiled on the Lido, is designed to serve as a catalyst for high-quality content production, bridging the gap between raw creative talent in the Arab world and the demands of both regional and international marketplaces.
The partnership represents a maturation of the Arab entertainment industry, moving beyond mere distribution to a more integrated model that emphasizes early-stage development, intellectual property packaging, and strategic script consulting.
The Genesis of a Creative Powerhouse
The agreement between Mad Solutions and Irth is structured to facilitate a comprehensive pipeline of entertainment projects, spanning feature films, episodic television, and digital narratives. Under the terms of the pact, the two entities will collaborate on developing, packaging, and supporting projects from inception through to market entry.
For Mad Solutions, which has spent the last 14 years establishing itself as the primary gateway for Arab cinema to reach global audiences, this partnership is a natural evolution of its business model. Founded in 2010 by Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, the company has grown into a multifaceted network. Its sub-brands—Mad World (international sales), Mad Distribution (regional theatrical and digital distribution), and Mad Celebrity (talent representation)—have already cemented the company’s influence. By bringing Irth into the fold, Mad is effectively moving "upstream," ensuring they have a hand in the creative DNA of the projects they eventually bring to the global stage.
Chronology of a Vision: From Red Sea to Venice
The journey toward this partnership began with the official launch of the Irth platform at the 2025 Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. Irth was conceived as an answer to a systemic challenge in the Arab entertainment sector: the lack of collaborative, structured writers’ rooms.
Key Milestones:
- 2010: Mad Solutions is established, fundamentally changing how Arab films are marketed and distributed globally.
- Early 2025: Irth is unveiled at the Red Sea International Film Festival, marking the first formalized, cross-border writers’ room connecting Egyptian and Saudi talent with the wider Arab creative community.
- August/September 2025: During the Venice Film Festival, the partnership between Mad Solutions and Irth is formally ratified, signaling a shift toward development-led production.
- Present Day: The entities begin the process of integrating their respective databases of writers and ongoing projects to create a unified pipeline of intellectual property.
This chronology underscores a shift in the region’s focus from post-production and distribution support toward the critical "incubation" phase of filmmaking—an area that has historically been underserved in the Middle East.
Bridging the Gap: The Irth Methodology
Haitham Dabbour, the architect of the Irth platform, is a figure whose work reflects the very duality this partnership aims to solve. As a bestselling author (Devoured by Seven Lean Cows, Moses Cross) and a screenwriter known for the acclaimed film Gunshot and the festival darling The Tale of Ahl El Daye (which made waves at the 2025 Berlinale), Dabbour understands the friction between literary creativity and commercial viability.
Irth functions as a creative incubator. It is not merely a service provider; it is a collaborative ecosystem that brings together writers from Cairo, Riyadh, and beyond to challenge, refine, and polish narratives. In an industry where "development" is often rushed or overlooked, Irth provides the infrastructure for stories to mature. By joining forces with Mad Solutions, these writers gain access to a distribution network that can navigate the complexities of both the MENA region and the major international film markets.
Industry Implications: Why This Matters
The implications of this partnership for the broader Arab film industry are profound.
1. Elevating Script Quality
For years, international distributors have expressed interest in Arab cinema but have often cited a lack of "market-ready" scripts. By formalizing development as a primary pillar, this partnership directly addresses the "quality control" issue, potentially increasing the number of Arab films that compete for major prizes at festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and Venice.
2. Talent Synergy
Mad Celebrity’s role in this partnership is critical. By pairing emerging writers from the Irth network with established talent managed by Mad, the partnership creates a sustainable cycle of mentorship and opportunity. It allows for "talent-driven" projects—films or series conceived specifically to showcase the strengths of specific actors or directors within the Mad roster.
3. Professionalizing the "Writers’ Room"
The concept of the professional writers’ room, standard in Hollywood and increasingly common in Western television, has been sporadic in the Arab world. Irth’s focus on this structure, backed by the administrative and strategic weight of Mad Solutions, could set a new industry standard for episodic television production in the region.
Official Responses and Strategic Outlook
In a joint statement released on the Lido, the architects of this deal emphasized the synergy of their combined efforts.
Haitham Dabbour noted: "Irth has always been about bringing strong writers and different Arab voices together and giving ideas the development they need. 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."
Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, co-founders of Mad Solutions, added: "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."
This strategic alignment is already yielding results. Even as the ink dries on the partnership, the two entities have begun working on a pipeline of original Arabic projects, as well as third-party development and consultancy assignments. While the specific titles remain under wraps, the announcement signals that the first slate of "germinated" projects will be unveiled in the coming months.
A Strong Presence in Venice
The timing of this announcement was no coincidence. Mad Solutions has maintained a high-profile presence at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, reinforcing its stature as a bridge between the Arab world and global cinema.
Two prominent films under their banner were showcased:
- "Al Baraneya": Directed by Ashgan El-Hamus, this poignant examination of rural Egyptian family dynamics screened in the prestigious Venice Days section.
- "Conversations with the Sea": Directed by Muayad Alayan, this Palestinian drama was featured in the Venice Spotlight section, further highlighting the diversity of narratives that Mad Solutions is championing.
Beyond these screenings, Mad Solutions continues to support the "Final Cut in Venice" platform, which provides essential post-production and industry networking opportunities for filmmakers from Africa and the Arab world. By combining this established festival presence with the new development capabilities offered by the Irth partnership, Mad Solutions is creating a "full-stack" model of film production and distribution.
Conclusion: A New Chapter
As the Venice Film Festival draws to a close, the announcement of the Mad Solutions-Irth partnership stands out as a signal of intent. The Arab film industry is no longer content to wait for opportunities to arrive; it is actively constructing the infrastructure to create, refine, and export its own stories.
With Haitham Dabbour’s creative vision and the industrial weight of Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, this partnership is well-positioned to turn the "Arab New Wave" into a sustained, global industry force. By focusing on the foundational element of any great film—the script—the alliance ensures that when Arab stories finally reach the screen, they are equipped to resonate with audiences from Casablanca to Tokyo, and everywhere in between.
The industry will be watching closely as the first projects from this collaboration emerge, serving as a litmus test for what promises to be a transformative era for regional storytelling.
Basiran
Asep Darmawan
