MAD Celebrity — the talent management subsidiary of the pan-Arab film and TV company MAD Solutions — has signed Tunisian actor and writer Majd Mastoura, French Lebanese actor Isabelle Zighondi, and Saudi actor, producer and director Amawri Ezayah to the roster of its MAD Rising Celebrity unit, and visual artist, producer and DOP Mostafa El Kashef, who will be joining MAD Crew Celebrity.
Mastoura is best known for his work on Mohamed Ben Attia’s “Hedi” — for which he received a Silver Bear for best actor from the Berlin Film Festival, making him the first-ever Arab actor to receive the award — and Léonor Serraille’s “Mother and Son,” which world premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
His most recent project is Ben Attia’s surreal Tunisian drama feature “Behind the Mountains,” which world premiered in the Horizons Section of this year’s Venice Film Festival and is holding its Arab region premiere at the Red Sea Film Festival.
Zighondi is best known for starring in Chloé Mazlo’s “Sous le Ciel d’Alice,” which premiered at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week; Joanna Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige’s “Memory Box,” which premiered at the 2021 Berlinale; and Elie Khalifé’s “State of Agitation.”
Her most recent project is Egyptian director Mohamed Samir’s original series “Dahab” for streaming service Shahid, in which she co-stars with Nour Al Ghandour and Ahmed Shoaib.
Ezayah has worked on several plays, the most recent of which are “I’m the Star” and “The Reunion,” which were staged several times this year.
He also starred in the Netflix series “Crashing Eid” and headlined theatrical talkshow “The Red Curtain Show.”
Rounding out the new signees is El Kashef, who is best known for his debut feature, “19 B,” which earned him the best artistic contribution award at the 2022 Cairo Film Festival.
El Kashef worked on a series of short films, including “I Promise You Paradise,” which world premiered at Cannes’ Critics’ Week, where it won the Valbonne’s Audience Award and Rail d’Or for best short film.
His most recent project, “The Village Next to Paradise,” is a Somali feature-length film by director Mo Harawe, which just won a post-production prize at the Atlas Workshops of the Marrakech Film Festival.
They join a lineup of more than 60 actors, directors, producers and other off-camera talent that boasts the likes of Yousra, Emmy Award nominee Menna Shalaby, “The Furnace” star Ahmed Malek, director of Marvel’s “Moon Knight” Mohamed Diab, editor Ahmed Hafez and composer Hesham Nazih.
