Arab Cinema Center to Launch Festival in Prague

Arab Flow will help promote Arab film and TV and is set to expand globally.


The Arab Cinema Center (ACC), the umbrella banner representing a growing group of Arab film companies, is launching a new film festival in the Czech capital of Prague.


Dubbed MAD 3ARABI ("Arab Flow"), it will include programs aimed at introducing Arab culture onto European shores, with a focus on film and TV, and will look to provide an extension for Arab filmmakers and content creators to reach this territory.


"MAD 3ARABI is a festival for cinema, culture and Arabic content," said Alaa Karkouti, CEO of Egyptian distribution and production outfit Mad Solutions and co-founder of the Arab Cinema Center. "It is a new development for the ACC's initiatives that aim to promote Arab culture around the world through different activities."


Karkouti added that, while the event would be held in Prague annually, the plan was to extend it to other international cities. The first edition of the festival — organized by Mad Solutions and the Iranian Film Festival — will be held Oct. 31–Nov. 4.


“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," said Iranian filmmaker Kaveh Daneshmand, the festival's managing director.


"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 be the perfect launching point for the first edition of this unique festival of Arab cinema."