Mad Solutions and Haitham Dabbour’s Irth Platform Announce Strategic Pan-Arab Content Partnership in Venice
What's happening
Mad Solutions, a pan-Arab distributor, and Haitham Dabbour's Irth platform have announced a strategic partnership at the Venice Film Festival to increase quality content production across the Arab world. The collaboration aims to support Arab writers and boost regional content output.
Who's involved
Mad Solutions is a pan-Arab content distributor, while Haitham Dabbour is an Egyptian multihyphenate creative figure who founded Irth, a platform dedicated to nurturing and supporting standout writers across the Arab region. The partnership was announced at the Venice Film Festival, the world's oldest film festival and one of the five most prestigious international festivals globally.
Why it matters
The partnership represents a significant commitment to elevating Arab storytelling on an international stage, with potential to increase visibility and investment in regional creative talent. By combining Mad Solutions' distribution infrastructure with Irth's writer-focused approach, the collaboration could establish a sustainable model for developing and circulating high-quality Arab content across markets.
The story
Mad Solutions and Haitham Dabbour's Irth platform announced a strategic partnership on Saturday at the Venice Film Festival, signaling a coordinated push to strengthen and expand quality content production across the Arab world. The collaboration brings together two distinct players in the regional media ecosystem: Mad Solutions, which operates as a pan-Arab distributor with reach across multiple markets, and Irth, a platform explicitly designed to identify and support standout writers working in Arabic-language storytelling.
The Venice Film Festival, which hosts this announcement, holds particular significance as the world's oldest film festival and ranks among the "Big Five" international film festivals globally, alongside the Toronto International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival. The choice of venue underscores the international ambitions of both organizations and positions Arab content within a conversation happening at one of cinema's most prestigious platforms.
Haitham Dabbour, described as a multihyphenate—suggesting involvement across writing, production, or other creative disciplines—founded Irth with a specific mission: to serve as an incubator and advocate for writers across the Arab region whose work might otherwise lack institutional support or distribution pathways. Mad Solutions' role as a pan-Arab distributor means the partnership effectively bridges the gap between writer development and market access, according to Variety, potentially allowing stories nurtured through Irth's platform to reach audiences across the Arab world through Mad Solutions' established channels.
The strategic nature of the partnership suggests both organizations see an opportunity to address a gap in the regional media landscape. By combining Mad Solutions' distribution expertise and existing relationships with exhibitors and broadcasters across Arab markets with Irth's focus on identifying and developing writing talent, the two entities can create a more complete pipeline—from discovery and development through to production and distribution.
Such partnerships have become increasingly important as Arab media producers seek to compete not only within regional markets but also on international platforms. The announcement at Venice reflects this dual ambition: strengthening local and regional storytelling while positioning Arab content for recognition at global festivals and markets.