There were two exceptions: Nadine LabakisCaramel(2006) and Hany Abu-AssadsParadise Now(2005).
We could see what was missing in the film industry, says Karkouti.
Diab likens this period to a voyage of discovery.
Maher Diab, Alaa KarkoutiGetty Images
When we started out it was a virgin market.
No-one had ever focused on the Arab world before.
We were unravelling one country after another.
That had never happened before for a non-Egyptian film, says Karkouti.
One of the biggest challenges in the early days was selling the concept of paying for marketing work.
When we started setting fees for our marketing, people were like, What?, recalls Diab.
Theyd never had marketing budgets before, said Karkouti.
It wasnt easy in the early days financially.
MAD Solutions activities quickly moved into promoting Arab cinema outside of MENA.
By being in the marketplace, we just kept seeing gaps, says Karkouti.
The ACCs first outing was the Berlinales European Film Market in 2015.
That same year, long-time collaborator Colin Brown also joined MAD Solutions as an official senior partner.
This years winners will be announced on Saturday in Cannes withFour DaughtersandGoodbye Juliaas front-runnersin the nominations.
This activity has really taken off, he says.
We have no other option, he says.
Other panels a focus on leading MENA region technicians and a case study on Jordan as a shooting location.
