Your Guide for Zawya’s Movies at 6th Cairo Cinema Days

MAD Solutions’ distribution will be represented by five titles at the sixth edition of Zawya’s Cairo Cinema Days, which will kick off on May 17.

The lineup includes five feature-length films — "Under the Fig Trees", "Alam", "The Damned Don't Cry", "The Island of Forgiveness", and "Nezouh".

Coming in first in the MAD lineup is Soudade Kaadan's "Nezouh", which takes place against the backdrop of the Syrian civil war, where a missile destroys the ceiling of the house of 14-year-old Zeina. As a result, she sleeps for the first time under the stars and makes friends with Amer (Nizar Alani) — the boy next door.

When the violence escalates, Hala (Kinda Alloush) — Zeina's mother — decides to leave, getting into an argument with her husband, Motaz (Samer Al-Masri), who refuses to become a refugee and tries everything to stop his family from leaving their house.

The film stars Kinda Alloush, Samer Al-Masri, Hala Zein, Nizar Alani, and Darina Al-Joundi, and is lensed by prominent cinematographer Hélène Louvart.

The film will be screened twice — once at 7 pm on May 18th and the second at 7 pm on the 31st.

Next up is Firas Khoury's award-winning movie "Alam", which follows the story of a Palestinian teenager named Tamer.

Tamer and his friends lead typical teenage lives until one day, he is swept off his feet by the arrival of the beautiful Maysaa. As he grows closer to her, Tamer agrees to take part in a mysterious and life-changing operation dubbed ‘Alam.’

Written and directed by Firas Khoury, ALAM stars Mahmood Bakri, Sereen Khass, Saleh Bakri, Mohammad Karaki, Ahmad Zaghmouri, and Muhammad Abed Elrahman.

"Alam" will also have two screenings — one at 7 pm on May 22nd and the other at 7 pm on June 2nd.

Third in line is Erige Sehiri’s social drama "Under the Fig Trees", which will be screened twice — once on May 19th at 7 pm and again on the 29th at 10 pm.

Taking place over the course of a day, "Under the Fig Trees" presents an intergenerational dialogue between a group of teens and older folk as they work the summer harvest, catch feelings, attempt to understand each other, and navigate the complicated terrain of building deeper ties.

MAD’s penultimate entry is Fyzal Boulifa’s feature film "The Damned Don't Cry", which follows Fatima-Zahra and her adolescent son Selim as they move from place to place, forever trying to outrun the latest scandal she's caught up in. When Selim discovers the truth about his past, Fatima-Zahra vows to seek a fresh start.

Arriving in Tangier, they each find new opportunities that promise the legitimacy they crave, but not without threatening their fragile love for one another.

The film stars Abdellah El-Hajjouji, Aicha Tebbae, and Antoine Reinartz, and was nominated for the GdA Directors' Award at the Venice International Film Festival.

"The Damned Don't Cry" is scheduled to screen on May 19th at 7 pm and the 29th at 10 pm.

Lastly, "The Island of Forgiveness", starring Claudia Cardinale, Katia Greco, and Paola Lavini under the helm of Ridha Behi.

The film is a tumultuous, heart-wrenching drama as witnessed by the eyes of a child named Andrea.

"The Island of Forgiveness" will have two screenings — the first on May 28th at 7 pm and the second on June 9th at 7 pm.