Mad Solutions and Haitham Dabbour’s Irth Platform Announce Strategic Pan-Arab Content Partnership in Venice
Pan-Arab distributor Mad Solutions and Egyptian author-screenwriter Haitham Dabbour's Irth platform have announced a strategic partnership at the Venice Film Festival to jointly develop, package and support film, television and other entertainment projects from across the Arab world. The deal matters because it combines Mad Solutions' established regional and international distribution network with Irth's writers' room model, aiming to strengthen the pipeline of quality Arab content reaching wider markets.
Cairo-based Mad Solutions, founded in 2010 by Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, operates specialist divisions covering international sales, regional distribution and talent management, while Irth, launched at the 2025 Red Sea International Film Festival, is the first collaborative writers' room bringing together writers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and beyond. The partners plan a pipeline of original Arabic projects alongside third-party development work, with first projects to be announced later. The news coincides with Mad Solutions' strong Venice presence this year, including two films on the Lido, "Al Baraneya" and "Conversations with the Sea," and its annual award at the Final Cut in Venice industry platform.
- Mad Solutions and Irth platform form Arab content development partnership at Venice
- Deal pairs Mad's distribution network with Irth's cross-regional writers' room
- Announcement coincides with Mad Solutions screening two films in Venice
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Mad Solutions is a well-established distributor based in Cairo, founded in 2010, that handles international sales, regional distribution and talent management for films and shows from across the Arab world. Irth is a newer venture, set up by Egyptian author and screenwriter Haitham Dabbour, built around a "writers' room" that brings together screenwriters from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other countries to develop scripts collaboratively rather than individually.
The two have now agreed to work together, pairing Irth's writing and development process with Mad Solutions' distribution reach, with the aim of getting more Arabic film and television projects made and seen by wider audiences. This matters because Arab cinema and TV often struggle to move from local production into international markets, and partnerships like this are one way the industry is trying to close that gap.
The announcement was made at the Venice Film Festival, a major annual event where films are shown and industry deals are often struck. Mad Solutions already has a significant presence there this year, supporting films screening at the festival and receiving an industry award, which is the backdrop against which this new partnership was unveiled.