Dubai’s Mad World Secures Worldwide Rights to Ghassan Salhab’s Vampire Epic, ‘The Last City’

In Dubai, a sales company named Mad World has recently acquired the worldwide rights to Lebanese director Ghassan Salhab’s upcoming project “The Last City.” Salhab, a well-known auteur in Lebanon, has previously directed critically acclaimed works like “Terra Incognita,” “The Last Man,” “The Mountain,” and “The Valley.”

“The Last City” is set in Beirut, which is now overrun by vampires seeking scarce victims. The narrative of the film is structured around five non-consecutive nights that depict the final days of Beirut. Salhab described it as a pseudo-sequel to his earlier work “The Last Man,” exploring a world where vampires have multiplied and the city is once again divided.

Produced by Tania El-Khoury in Lebanon and supported by organizations such as the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) and CNC, “The Last City” is a collaboration between Khamsin Films in Lebanon and Les Films de l’Altaï in France. Mad World, a newly launched sales company at Cannes, is thrilled to bring Arab filmmaking talent and unique stories to global audiences. Co-presidents Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab expressed their excitement about working with directors like Ghassan Salhab, highlighting his decades-long career of creating diverse and compelling films.