Boy from Heaven
Boy from Heaven (Arabic: صبي من الجنة, romanized: ṣabiyy min al Janna), released in most English-speaking countries as Cairo Conspiracy, is a 2022 Arabic-language political thriller film directed by Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh. The film is a co-production between Sweden, France and Finland. It had its world premiere on 20 May 2022 at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. Saleh was awarded Best Screenplay, and the film received the François Chalais Prize at Cannes.
Boy from Heaven | |
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![]() Swedish theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Tarik Saleh |
Written by | Tarik Saleh |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Pierre Aïm |
Edited by | Theis Schmidt |
Music by | Krister Linder |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 126 minutes |
Countries | Sweden France Finland |
Language | Arabic |
Box office | $4.3 million[1] |
Premise
Adam, the son of a fisherman, accepts an offer to study at the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Shortly after his arrival, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar suddenly dies and a power struggle to replace him ensues.
Cast
- Tawfeek Barhom as Adam
- Fares Fares as Ibrahim
- Mohammad Bakri as General Al Sakran
- Makram Khoury as Sheikh Negm
- Mehdi Dehbi as Zizo
- Moe Ayoub as Sobhy
- Sherwan Haji as Soliman
- Abduljabbar Alsuhili as Alasfour
- Ahmed Lassaoui
- Jalal Altawil
- Ramzi Choukair as Sheikh Durani
- Yunus Albayrak as Sharia Teacher
- Mouloud Ayad as Nazim
- Okan Bozkuş as Student
- Youssef Salama Zeki as Biology Teacher
- Ayman Fathy as Soldier
- Amr Mosad as Harun
Production
The film was shot primarily at the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.[2]
Release
The film had its world premiere on 20 May 2022 at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
It was released in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland,[3] and Australia as Cairo Conspiracy.[4]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's consensus reads, "Although it may not fully unlock the promise of its tension-rich setting and premise, Cairo Conspiracy's strong performances and sophisticated script offer solidly satisfying compensation".[5] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 14 critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews".[6]
The film was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards,[7] and made the December shortlist.[8]
Awards and nominations
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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Cannes Film Festival | 28 May 2022 | Best Screenplay | Tarik Saleh | Won | [9] |
François Chalais Prize | Won | [10] | |||
Palme d'Or | Nominated | [11] | |||
Lumières Award | 16 January 2023 | Best International Coproduction | Tarik Saleh | Nominated | [12] |
Guldbagge Awards | 23 January 2023 | Best Screenplay | Tarik Saleh | Won | [13] |
Best Film | Kristina Åberg, Fredrik Zander | Nominated | |||
Best Director | Tarik Saleh | Nominated | |||
Best Editing | Theis Schmidt | Nominated | |||
Best Actor in a Leading Role | Tawfeek Barhom | Nominated | |||
Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Fares Fares | Nominated | |||
Best Costume Design | Denise Östholm | Nominated | |||
César Awards | 24 February 2023 | Best Foreign Film | Nominated | [14] | |
Magritte Awards | 4 March 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Mehdi Dehbi | Nominated | [15] |
See also
References
- "Cairo Conspiracy (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- Pham, Annika (12 May 2022). "Boy from Heaven producer Kristina Åberg on working with Tarik Saleh". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- Tartaglione, Nancy (2 November 2022). "Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires Swedish Oscar Entry 'Cairo Conspiracy' For North America". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- "Cairo Conspiracy". Palace Nova. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- "Cairo Conspiracy". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- "Cairo Conspiracy Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- Keslassy, Elsa (6 December 2022). "Sweden's Oscar Entry 'Cairo Conspiracy' Thrives at French Box Office". Variety.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- Giardina, Carolyn (21 December 2022). "Shortlists for 95th Academy Awards Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Tartaglione, Nancy (28 May 2022). "Cannes Film Festival: Ruben Ostlund Wins Second Palme D'Or With 'Triangle Of Sadness' – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- "Prix Francois Chalais till svenska Boy from Heaven". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 28 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- "The films of the Official Selection 2022". www.festival-cannes.com. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- "Lumières 2023 : "La Nuit du 12", "Pacifiction", "Saint Omer" et "Les Enfants des autres" en tête des nominations". France Info (in French). 15 December 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- Dahlgren, Stina; Andersson, Jan-Olov (23 January 2023). "Alla vinnare på Guldbaggegalan 2023". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- Jamet, Constance (25 January 2023). "César: La Nuit du 12, En Corps, L'Innocent, en tête des nominations". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- Bradfer, Fabienne (10 February 2023). "Close arrive en tête des nominations des Magritte 2023". Le Soir (in French). Retrieved 28 February 2023.