Cairo, Egypt | Sunday- 8 May, 2016:
Within less than two years after its launch in the Arab film and TV production industry,
iProductions managed to establish its strong presence in 2016 through three major TV and film productions. In addition to Hepta: The Last Lecture, which recently topped the Egyptian box office, the company concluded the production stages on its film Mawlana. The film is based on
Ibrahim Issa's best-selling novel, which is shortlisted for the Arabic Booker (International Prize for Arabic fiction-IPAF). iProductions is also planning to join the phenomenal Ramadan 2016 race with a major TV production, Wedding Song, which is based on a novel of the same name by Egyptian Noble laureate Naguib Mahfouz.
During 2016 Berlinale, iProductions revealed its future plans to increase its presence in the Arab film market by allocating 9 million USD for the production of 10 Arab films.
About Hepta: The Last Lecture: Co-produced by iProductions, The Producers, and Film Clinic, the film racked up 16 million EGP within two weeks in Egyptian theaters, topping the box office and receiving a wave of wide acclaim across social media platforms. The film, which is based on
Mohamed Sadek's best-selling novel, portrays the seven stages of love through four paralleled stories. Mohamed Sadek's novel topped the charts in Egypt and throughout the Arab world and sold 36 editions.
About Mawlana: Written and directed by the award-winning director Magdi Ahmed Ali,
Mawlana is based on Ibrahim Issa's best-selling novel which is shortlisted for the Arabic Booker (International Prize for Arabic fiction-IPAF) and 11 editions of the book have been published since its release. Mawlana is produced by iProductions with Mohamed Al Adl (El Adl Group) as Executive Producer. The film stars Amr Saad, Dorra, Bayoumi Fouad, Ahmed Magdy, Reham Haggag, Sabry Fawwaz, Lotfy Labib, Eman El-Asy, and Ahmed Rateb. Mawlana tells the story of the well-known preacher Hatem Al Shenawy who hosts a series of moral, ethical and religious debates through his popular TV show, which enjoys worldwide audience of millions of people. Best known for his clear-cut and sensible answers to questions posed by callers and guests, Hatem's audiences are unaware of his inner conflicts. He has to conceal what he really thinks about religious issues, especially under the restrictions imposed by the state security.
About Wedding Song: Deemed by Variety magazine as "Egypt's biggest-budget TV production this year", Wedding Song is a new TV hit based on a novel of the same name by Egyptian Noble
laureate Naguib Mahfouz. Directed by Mohamed Yassein, the new TV adaptation is his third TV directorial effort after Al-Gamaa'a (2010) and Mouja Harra (Heatwave). With a script written by Nashwa Zayed (Bent Benoot TV series, Habiba), the Wedding Song stars Mona Zaki, Eyad Nassar, Gamal Soliman, Rania Youssef, Saba Moubarak, Sawsan Badr, Sayed Ragab, Sabry Fawwaz, Dina El Sherbiny, Kinda Alloush, Ahmed Salah El Saadany, and Mohamed El Sharnouby. The TV hit is produced by iProductions in collaboration with Alshorouk Productions
and JWT. Set against the backdrop of the 1970s, the story tracks a theatrical troupe during a script reading session, where the protagonists realize that they're being exposed to their sordid past. They try by all means to stop the play which is disclosing their dirty secrets, but the producer insists the show must go on. The story unfolds through the narrations of Taheya, who joins the troupe in search for an opportunity as an actress, until she's mysteriously murdered.