Sydney Film Festival adds MAD titles to 2025 line-up
The Sydney Film Festival, set to run from June 4 to 15, has announced the addition of two titles from MAD Solutions to its 2025 programme: Yunan and Têtes brûlées, both of which bring emotionally resonant storytelling to the international stage.
Yunan, the latest work from Syrian filmmaker Ameer Fakher Eldin, is the second installment in his HOME trilogy, which delves into the emotional landscape of estrangement and exile. The film follows an Arab writer who, burdened by disillusionment, leaves his life in Hamburg and retreats to a secluded island on the North Sea, intending to end his life. His unexpected encounter with an elderly woman and her quiet acts of compassion slowly reignite his will to live.
Directed, written and edited by Ameer Fakher Eldin, the film is a Canadian-German-Italian co-production, with contributions from Palestine, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The cast includes Lebanese actor and filmmaker George Khabbaz, German actress Hanna Schygulla, Palestinian actor Ali Suleiman and Game of Thrones stars Sibel Kekilli and Thomas Wlaschiha, alongside Lebanese theatre veteran Nidal El Ashkar.
Ameer Fakher Eldin, a Syrian filmmaker based in Hamburg, was born in Kyiv in 1991 to Syrian parents from the occupied Golan Heights.
Joining Yunan in the festival's program is Têtes brûlées, a poignant coming-of-age story from Belgian-Tunisian-Danish director Maja Ajmia Zellama. The film centers on 12-year-old Eya as she grapples with the sudden death of her older brother Younès. Through a heartfelt exploration of grief, Eya finds solace in her imagination, her brother's close-knit circle of friends, and her own inner strength, as she begins to navigate a world without him.
Produced by Komoko, with co-productions by Quetzalcoatl and 1080 Films, Têtes brûlées is a Belgian film enriched by Tunisian cultural influences. The cast features Safa Gharbaoui, Mehdi Bouziane, Mounir Amamra—known for his role in DIVINES—along with Adnane El Haruati, Saber Tabi, Nicolas Makola, Mehdi Zellama and Monia Taieb.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sharjah 24
2 days ago
- Sharjah 24
Sharjah Youth cultivates future leaders through activities
The event featured a variety of educational and practical programmes that combined arts, technical, and professional skills, aiming to hone their skills and build their capacities in an advanced educational environment. Creating informed and creative generations The event, held on Thursday, is part of a series of events organised by APC in Sharjah for its parliamentarians. This event is part of the comprehensive vision established by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to support Arab children and create informed and influential generations, qualified to shape their future with knowledge, awareness, and responsibility. Youth studio Programmes included a comprehensive set of specialised workshops distributed across several tracks, the most prominent of which was the "Youth Studio" track, which included the "Animation" programme. Participants participated in a series of workshops in which they learned the importance of visual presentation and the basics of drawing. They also learned how to use the "Procreate" programme and produce professionally animated scenes, enhancing their artistic abilities and connecting them to modern digital technologies. Miniature world The "Miniature World" workshop opened the horizons of photography for child parliamentarians. They received training in photo-taking skills, controlling lighting and angles, and visual expression using the camera. This also enhanced their creativity and imagination in producing images that express their own vision of beauty and the moment. Creative writing In the Creative Writing track, parliamentarians participated in the "Short Story Writing" programme as part of the "Speaker" programme'. They learned how to express their ideas and experiences in an engaging literary style, while also training in condensation, abbreviation, and scenario formulation techniques. This provided them with the opportunity to enter the world of authorship and writing with awareness and professionalism. Artistic field In the artistic field, the workshops featured a rich variety of activities, most notably the "Pottery Shaping" workshop, which allowed participants to practice an important visual art that complements Arabic calligraphy. They learned how to shape pottery using creative methods that can be applied to paintings or sculptures, adding a new aesthetic dimension to their craftsmanship. Architectural model Children also participated in creating geometric models through the "Architectural Model" workshop, where they designed three-dimensional models of realistic buildings using wood chips. This enabled them to interact with design and construction concepts, connect imagination with urban reality, and instil their engineering thinking and spatial planning skills. Science and technology In the field of science and technology, parliamentarians undertook a unique technological experience in the "LEGO Robotics" workshop, which focused on introducing them to the design and construction of robots and how to interact with them in a practical way. This enhanced their programming skills and connected them to the world of modern technology and logical thinking. On the vocational front, the children received practical training in the "Auto Mechanics" workshop, which introduced them to home maintenance skills, from plumbing and carpentry to technical repairs. This training framework connects them to daily life skills that enhance their independence and ability to deal with simple challenges in their daily lives. APC members engaged greatly with these workshops, showing remarkable enthusiasm and a willingness to learn new things. These activities provided a fertile ground for self-discovery and expanding horizons of knowledge, reflecting the advanced approach adopted by the Rubu' Qarn Foundation and Sharjah Youth in caring for children and youth. Unique collaboration In this context, His Excellency Ayman Othman Al Barout, Secretary-General of APC, expressed his pride in this unique collaboration with the Rubu' Qarn Foundation, emphasising that these programmmes represent a strong start to their meeting in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, as part of the second session of the Parliament's fourth term. Programmes clearly translate Sharjah's vision of empowering Arab children through learning, innovation, and creativity. Investing in children Al Barout said that organisation and quality programmes seen at Sharjah Youth reflect a leadership vision that invests in childhood and provides parliamentarians with the opportunity to acquire advanced skills that will accompany them in their future endeavours. The partnership between APC and the Rubu' Qarn Foundation is now yielding tangible programmes that build minds and stimulate energies in an inspiring, interactive environment."
Campaign ME
2 days ago
- Campaign ME
How MENA's cultural ambitions are redefining global gravity
There is something quietly radical happening across the MENA region, not loud, not performative … rather, deliberate, layered, and unmissable for those who are paying attention. For decades, the Middle East has been viewed as a place of rapid transformation, but rarely as the origin point of global cultural influence. That narrative is shifting and fast. What we're witnessing now is more than a wave of development. It's a recalibration of global cultural gravity. The region once seen as pure-play importing creativity, is today shaping new futures through global partnerships. In the past 18 months alone, we've seen announcements and activations that would've seemed improbable a decade ago: Art Basel landing in Qatar, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in the capital, teamLab Inc. opening in both Jeddah and Saadiyat, Zegna hosting Villa Zegna in Dubai. Disney the newest entry in the heart of Abu dhabi with Miral Destinations. What we saw a few years ago as a strategic play with Formula 1 and the region making a move for 4 key races, we now see a similar yet catalytic shift happening across cultural platforms. But this is not just about quantity. This is about long-term cultural authorship. As someone who works at the intersection of culture and strategy, I see the through line: some would call it event making, but to me it's identity-building. The cultural capital: From access to soft power It's easy to reduce these headlines to checklists. A museum here. A fashion activation there. A film festival and some regional names. But behind these launches is a deeper more tectonic strategy: Saadiyat Island has a deep civic manifesto and how it aims for long-term value generation for the capital. teamLab Phenomena known for their global exhibits, takes to softer architecture and deeper storytelling all rooted in local landscapes. Villa Zegna in Dubai, automatically legitimising the city as a stage for global fashion brands to rethink how and where they show up. This isn't the first time that MENA has hosted major events or brought in cultural cachet, but what's different now is the tone and the intentionality. Previously the region leaned in heavily on spectacle, the message was 'bring the world here'. Now there's a subtle pivot, 'Lets co-create for the world, from here'. Arab-futurism: The aesthetic of the cultural shift We are not playing cultural catch-up. It's a new visual and philosophical vocabulary emerging from the region. What we're seeing is unabridged, unapologetic Arab-futurism in its purest form. Threading heritage with hyper speed innovation, It lives in the architecture of the Guggenheim, the digital surrealism of teamLab, the sonic language of MDLBEAST, and the artistic experimentation of Alula's desert exhibitions. It is speculative. It is cinematic. It is rooted in history yet never nostalgic. Arab-futurism appears as a look, but in essence it is a lense. A confident creative narrative that emerges from a deep place of self awareness and collective imagination rising in the region. Its a viral aesthetic, it's on your feed, its Saint Levant meets Huda Beauty for Kalamentina. Its showing up in how cities are being built, how platforms are being designed, and how stories are being told. Its built-culture over borrowed-culture. Why now? And why this rapid? Three converging forces are making this moment possible: A generational unlock: Across the region, young, globally-aware populations are demanding culture that reflects them and what the region stands for. Diversification with vision: National mandates like Saudi's Vision 2030 and the UAE's creative economy framework treat culture as core economic infrastructure, and not a side hustle. A blueprint we have seen prevail in global cultural centers like Paris or London. Reputation as strategy: Culture builds narrative capital. Museums, racetracks, festivals, biennales, they're not just for entertainment. They are narrative powerhouses, when optimised … … and the region is playing the long game, nothing is short-term here. Look at the success cases: A 20 year old legacy for Qatar Museums with public commissions, robust programming, infrastructural marvels, public-private patronage, content pipelines, and a growing strategic ambition for the future. This is generational planning. What this cultural shift means for global brands and creatives Brand marketers can look at this as a 'regional opportunity' in-the-here and the-now or as a much larger global reframing, that will impact the messaging, the activations, the budgets and eventually the seat of power for the brand itself. If you're still showing up with one-size-fits-all toolkits, you're already behind. For creatives, the region offers budget, boldness, and belief in imagination. We are finally not just a stopgap between New York and London. This is true creative capital in the making. While mature markets still dabble with cutesy photo ops, tennis court takeovers and matcha art cafes, our creatives are rewriting destination marketing through big, bold and bullish ideas, from Sharjah to Diriyah. You would think the Middle East is catching up, but instead it's the world catching on. The region is no longer a backdrop for borrowed stories. It moves with a quiet confidence, beyond the noise and the novelty, towards a bold vision stitched into the civic fabric. Culture isn't coming here to perform, it's coming here to evolve. It's time that culture got a new epicenter. A creative, unapologetic reframing of what the future can look like when it's rooted in identity, not imported in pieces. By Saheba Sodhi, Global Head of Strategy & Experiential, MCH Global
Sharjah 24
2 days ago
- Sharjah 24
African Sources at the Sharjah House of Poetry
The evening included poets Mazen Salah Al Din from Sudan and poet Karamba Davy from Gambia, a student at Al Qasimia University. The evening was attended by poet Mohammed Abdullah Al Buraiki, director of the House, and a large number of critics, poets, and poetry lovers, who packed the theatre, filling its spacious hall with enthusiasm, interaction, and applause. Building a solid bridge of beauty The evening was introduced by poet Mustafa Al Hafnawi, who welcomed the attendees and extended his sincere thanks to His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, for his generous patronage of culture and arts in the UAE and the Arab world. Al Hafnawi also praised the role of the House of Poetry in Sharjah and the events it offers, saying that gathering in the house aims to build a solid bridge of beauty. Readings The poetry readings were opened by poet Dr. Mazen Salah El Din, whose poems mostly address emotions and the psychological relationship between the poet and poetry. The evening was concluded by poet Karamba Davy, a student at Al Qasimia University in Sharjah, who comes from the sources of African beauty. He recited a poem in praise of the Prophet entitled "The Greatest Blessing: Muhammad," in which he discussed the Prophet's merits and virtues. The poet also recited another text in which he expressed his love and attachment to the land of the UAE, where he studies. His poetic imagery was filled with delicate emotion, blending praise with love. Finally, poet Mohammed Al Buraiki honoured the participating poets and the evening's host.
