Mad World Acquires 'Al Baraneya' for Worldwide Sales
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- Mad World acquired worldwide sales rights to Egyptian drama 'Al Baraneya' ahead of its world premiere in Venice's Giornate degli Autori parallel section
- Ashgan El-Hamus directs her feature debut about Al Amal, a pregnant young woman whose family's land-sale offer forces a reckoning between village tradition and the promise of a city future
- El-Hamus drew from her own family history and cast her Egyptian relatives alongside actress Reem Amer to build what she calls 'relationships that feel lived rather than performed'
- The film is a Dutch-Egyptian-Belgian-Saudi co-production pairing Amsterdam's Baldr Film (Frank Hoeve), Berlin's Seera Films (Kesmat Elsayed), and Brussels' Czar Film (Eurydice Gysel)
- The deal marks Mad World's second collaboration with Seera producer Kesmat Elsayed, following Mohamed Rashad's Berlinale 2025-selected 'The Settlement'
- Baldr Film brings an auteur-heavy recent track record including the Oscar-nominated 'Soundtrack to a Coup d'État,' Cannes Grand Prix winner 'All We Imagine as Light,' and Venice Giornate Best European Film 'Alpha'
Why it matters: For Mad Solutions' sales arm, the acquisition extends a working relationship with Seera's Elsayed and gives Mad World a Venice-premiere debut to shop to international buyers. For first-time feature director El-Hamus, a Giornate slot paired with Baldr Film's pedigree — Oscar nomination plus Cannes Grand Prix on recent credits — provides unusually strong launch momentum before the market even sees the film.
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