Boy from Heaven

Boy from Heaven
Swedish theatrical release poster
Directed byTarik Saleh
Written byTarik Saleh
Produced by
  • Kristina Åberg
  • Fredrik Zander
Starring
CinematographyPierre Aïm
Edited byTheis Schmidt
Music byKrister Linder
Production
companies
  • Atmo (Sweden)
  • Memento (France)
  • Bufo (Finland)
Distributed by
  • TriArt Film (Sweden)
  • Memento (France)
Release dates
  • 20 May 2022 (2022-05-20) (Cannes)
  • 26 October 2022 (2022-10-26) (France)
  • 18 November 2022 (2022-11-18) (Sweden)
Running time
126 minutes
CountriesSweden
France
Finland
LanguageArabic
Box office$4.9 million[1]

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 75th 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. It was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards but was not nominated.

Plot

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Adam, the son of a fisherman from a village near El Manzala, 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. The NSA (security service) strives to install sheikh Beblawi, but he has two competitors: neutral sheikh Negm, who is blind, and a Salafi sheikh Durani.

Adam makes friends with Zizu, who is an informer for Colonel Ibrahim from the NSA. Zizu is soon killed, and Adam tries to help solve his murder by working for Ibrahim. He infiltrates a group of extremists and gathers information about them, but he learns that they had no involvement with the murder. Once the extremists realise his role, they attempt to kill Adam, but Ibrahim stops them and forces their leader to quit his position as Durani's assistant and turn it over to Adam.

Sheikh Negm turns himself in to the NSA and claims that he killed Zizu. The NSA is forced to arrest him despite knowing that he is not guilty. While doing menial tasks for Durani, Adam discovers that he has an illegitimate child, which disqualifies him. Sheikh Beblawi is elected Grand Imam.

Ibrahim's superior, Sobhi, orders him to kill Adam, revealing that NSA murdered Zizu too. Ibrahim is shocked and tries to help Adam to escape, but he is captured. Sobhi attempts to pressure Adam into confessing that he murdered Zizu. Ibrahim too gets arrested, but he manages to persuade General Sakran to arrange a meeting between Adam and Negm: Negm knows about NSA's role in Zizu's murder and plans to reveal it to the media during the trial; Ibrahim thinks that Adam can persuade Negm to reconsider. Adam succeeds and is let go.

Adam returns to his home village wearing al-Azhar's signature turban. He thanks his village imam, but is unable to say what he has learnt at the university. In the final scene of the film he joins his father in the fishing boat.

Cast

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  • 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 as Raed
  • Jalal Altawil as Sheikh Beblawi
  • 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
Courtyard of the Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul

Production

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The film was shot primarily at the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.[2]

Release

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The film had its world premiere on 20 May 2022 at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or.

It was released in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland,[3] and Australia as Cairo Conspiracy.[4]

Reception

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Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. 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]

Accolades

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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]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 28 May 2022 Best Screenplay Tarik Saleh Won [9]
François Chalais Prize Won [10]
Palme d'Or Nominated [11]
César Awards 24 February 2023 Best Foreign Film Boy from Heaven 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
Lumières Award 16 January 2023 Best International Co-Production Boy from Heaven Nominated [14]
Magritte Awards 4 March 2023 Best Supporting Actor Mehdi Dehbi Nominated [15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Cairo Conspiracy (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. ^ Pham, Annika (12 May 2022). "Boy from Heaven producer Kristina Åberg on working with Tarik Saleh". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  3. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (2 November 2022). "Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires Swedish Oscar Entry 'Cairo Conspiracy' For North America". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Cairo Conspiracy". Palace Nova. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Cairo Conspiracy". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Cairo Conspiracy". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  7. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (6 December 2022). "Sweden's Oscar Entry 'Cairo Conspiracy' Thrives at French Box Office". Variety. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  8. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (21 December 2022). "Shortlists for 95th Academy Awards Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Prix Francois Chalais till svenska Boy from Heaven". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 28 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  11. ^ "The films of the Official Selection 2022". www.festival-cannes.com. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Dahlgren, Stina; Andersson, Jan-Olov (23 January 2023). "Alla vinnare på Guldbaggegalan 2023". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ Bradfer, Fabienne (10 February 2023). "Close arrive en tête des nominations des Magritte 2023". Le Soir (in French). Retrieved 28 February 2023.
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