MAD Solutions & IRTH Strike Pan-Arab Development & Production Strategic Partnership – Venice
Cairo-based film and talent group MAD Solutions has struck a strategic partnership with IRTH, the pan-Arab drama development and production company founded by Egyptian author and screenwriter Haitham Dabbour. The tie-up combines MAD Solutions' regional and international expertise in distribution, sales, talent management and marketing with IRTH's creative development infrastructure and network of Arab writers, aiming to originate and support film, TV and other entertainment projects for Arab and global markets.
Under the deal, the two companies will jointly develop original films, TV series and other formats, including projects featuring talent from MAD's Celebrity roster, while also offering development support such as script doctoring and rewriting to third-party producers. MAD Solutions, founded in 2010 by Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, has built a reputation in marketing and distributing Arab films and has recently expanded into international sales and production. Specific projects from the partnership will be announced separately, and the deal was unveiled at the Venice Film Festival, where MAD Solutions also has titles in the Giornate degli Autori and Venice Spotlight sections and will present its annual Final Cut award, now in its 12th year.
- MAD Solutions and IRTH form pan-Arab drama development partnership.
- Deal pairs MAD's distribution/talent network with IRTH's writer development base.
- Announced at Venice Film Festival, where MAD has other festival activities.
New here? Start with this
MAD Solutions is a Cairo-based company that helps Arab films and TV get made, marketed and sold, both regionally and internationally, and it also manages talent. IRTH is a newer pan-Arab company set up by Egyptian writer Haitham Dabbour to develop drama scripts and projects, drawing on a network of Arab screenwriters.
The two firms have now agreed a partnership that pairs MAD's distribution, sales and marketing know-how with IRTH's writing and development expertise, with the aim of creating new film, TV and other entertainment content aimed at both Arab and global audiences. The announcement was made at the Venice Film Festival, a major annual gathering in the international film industry where deals, premieres and awards are often unveiled.
This matters because it points to growing efforts to build up the infrastructure behind Arab storytelling, not just the finished films and shows themselves, and to connect that work more closely with international markets. MAD Solutions has featured at Venice for several years, including through its Final Cut initiative supporting African and Arab filmmakers.