Director Tarik Saleh Discusses Exile from Egypt
Egyptian Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh has previously spoken about his exile from Egypt, a consequence of his controversial Cairo Trilogy. The series of films delves into the widespread corruption within Egypt’s police, religious institutions, and political landscape.
During a cinema and resistance panel at the Les Arcs Film Festival’s industry program, Saleh shared that the Egyptian government under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was not just displeased with his portrayals but that this disapproval extended internationally.
Saleh was accompanied by his French distributor and producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy, founder and CEO of Paris-based Memento Distribution, and sales professionals Jean-Christophe Simon from Films Boutique and Margot Hervée from Totem Films.
Simon and Hervée discussed their respective collaborations with Iranian dissident filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof on The Seed of the Sacred Fig and the duo Maryam Moqadam and Behtash Sanaeeha on My Favourite Cake.
Saleh recounted his forced departure from Egypt during the initial production phase of The Nile Hotel Incident, a film that later won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2017. Set just before the 2011 revolution that ended Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule, the film was inspired by the 2008 murder of singer Suzanne Tamim. It scrutinizes the shadowy efforts to shield the influential real estate mogul responsible for her murder, who has since been pardoned by Al-Sisi.
Although the film does not directly reference Al-Sisi, who assumed power following a military coup in 2013, its narrative evidently disturbed the authorities.
Saleh vividly described an urgent situation where, during a lunch at the Swedish embassy in Cairo, his producer received a threatening call. “She told me, ‘Tarik, we must leave.’ I thought she meant leaving the lunch, but she clarified, ‘No, we need to exit Egypt immediately,’” he explained.
Back at their hotel, they were confronted by their Egyptian producer who was visibly shaken and informed them that state security had given them a week to leave the country or face dire consequences.
Since then, Saleh has not returned to Egypt. The Nile Hotel Incident was ultimately filmed in Casablanca, Morocco, and his subsequent films in the trilogy—Cairo Conspiracy and the satirical Eagles of the Republic—were shot in Turkey.
Saleh also shared his recent challenges with filming in Morocco, where he was initially welcomed but later barred from shooting due to governmental interference, a script review by the Interior Ministry being a red flag. “We had everything ready, and then we received the call you never want to get, telling us we had to leave,” he said.
He speculated that Egypt’s significant military influence in the MENA region might have deterred other countries from hosting his films. His concerns increased when diplomatic relations between Al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seemed to be warming, potentially jeopardizing his ability to work in Turkey as well.
Mallet-Guy lamented the difficulties in securing funding from the MENA region for Saleh’s films due to their sensitive content. “We were quite naive initially, hoping to secure funding from sources like the Doha Film Institute or the Red Sea Film Festival, but the script was too controversial,” he stated. Ultimately, they managed to fund the project through European sources, leveraging the supportive Scandinavian system and French financial contributions.
Despite premiering at Cannes in May, Eagles of the Republic did not tour the MENA festival circuit, a situation Saleh described as “painful.” He also commented on the complex political landscape, noting, “Al-Sisi is a favorite dictator in the West. He receives accolades in France, Denmark, and even admiration from Donald Trump,” adding humorously, “Sometimes I envy my Iranian filmmaker friends because the widespread disdain for Iran makes their critical films more popular.”
Discussing working with Rasoulof, Simon revealed initial connections during the sales of There is no Evil, which won the Berlinale Golden Bear in 2020. Despite Rasoulof’s travel restrictions and subsequent arrest, they managed to secretly produce The Seed of the Sacred Fig under constant threats of re-arrest.
Continuing on the Iranian cinema theme, Hervée shared the harrowing experiences of Moqadam and Sanaeeha, whose home was raided shortly before their scheduled appearance at the Berlinale for My Favourite Cake. Despite severe restrictions, the international film community’s support has been crucial in preventing their imprisonment, she noted.
The panel highlighted the resilience and creative strategies employed by filmmakers working under oppressive regimes to bring their visions to the screen, underscoring the profound impact of international solidarity in the arts.
Watch the full discussion below:
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