Nearly ten years ago, Tarik Saleh, an Egyptian Swedish filmmaker, had to hastily depart Egypt as he was on the verge of filming The Nile Hilton Incident, a movie about police corruption and the initial part of his trilogy set in Cairo.
“They issued a stark warning. They told us that if we did not leave with our team within five days, they couldn’t ensure our safety, which was a veiled threat of harm,” Saleh shared with attendees at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon recently.
His comments came following the showing of his latest movie Eagles of the Republic, featuring his frequent collaborator Fares Fares. The film portrays Egyptian cinema icon George Fahmy who is pressured into portraying Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a film celebrating his rise to power in 2014.
The movie debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in the Competition category and is now set for a broader release in France through Memento Distribution. It has also been chosen as Sweden’s submission for the Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Oscars.
This year, Saleh was featured at the cultural heritage-centric Lumière Festival, organized by Cannes delegate general Thierry Frémaux, who also serves as the head of Institut Lumière. The festival lineup included notable figures like Natalie Portman, Sean Penn, and Michael Mann, who received a lifetime achievement honor.
A decade after being expelled, Saleh’s third film in the series, following Boy From Heaven, delivers a strong critique of Egypt’s military leadership and the General Intelligence Service (GIS), indirectly targeting al-Sisi.
The plot revolves around George Fahmy, who finds himself inadvertently caught in a deadly political conspiracy through the al-Sisi biopic, led by United Media Services (UMS), a media conglomerate established in 2017 with close ties to the GIS.
The narrative is inspired by Yasser Galal’s portrayal of al-Sisi in the series El Ekhteyar (The Choice), despite Galal’s physical differences from the president. Recently, Galal was appointed to the Egyptian senate by al-Sisi.
The film’s production was completed in Turkey, with additional scenes filmed in Egypt, after plans to shoot in Casablanca, Morocco, were abruptly canceled.
“I was expelled. It seems I’m always being expelled from countries,” Saleh joked to the audience in Lyon, later explaining to Deadline that although he holds Morocco dear, he believes the country backed out to avoid upsetting Egypt and its military.
Egyptian actor Amr Waked portrays Dr. Mansour, a sinister figure who oversees the film set, ensuring Fahmy accurately represents al-Sisi.
Waked’s involvement in the movie holds additional significance as he had to flee Egypt in 2017 after expressing pro-democracy sentiments online, now facing a lengthy prison sentence in Egypt.
Other cast members include Palestinian American actress and director Cherien Dabis, who plays Fahmy’s long-time co-star ostracized from the film industry for not cooperating with the regime, and rising stars Lyna Khoudri, a French Algerian actress, and French Moroccan actress Zineb Triki.
As the film begins its theatrical release, al-Sisi is currently enjoying a surge of international attention following President Donald Trump’s commendation of his role in advancing the Gaza peace plan.
Saleh expressed skepticism about the film being released in the Middle East and North Africa, but he noted to the Lumière audience that due to widespread piracy, many Egyptians have seen the earlier two movies.
“I’ve received numerous letters from Egyptian police officers who appreciated the film,” he remarked, referencing The Nile Hilton Incident.
Beyond the Egyptian context, Saleh mentioned that Eagles of the Republic explores broader themes of artistic freedom and compromise.
“Throughout history, most artists were employed by religious or royal authorities to produce art that glorified them,” he observed.
“For me, this also speaks to an artist’s role in society, trying to maintain integrity without losing privilege. Like all of us, we think it’s okay until suddenly, it isn’t,” he added.
Saleh pointed out that Europe remains one of the few places globally where artists can still create freely, drawing parallels to historical European filmmakers like Fritz Lang and Miloš Forman who moved to America during darker times in Europe.
“I feel a connection to those filmmakers, and I believe Europe still supports freedom of expression, attracting artists from the Middle East and potentially America,” he concluded.
Saleh shared an anecdote about his friend, Danish-Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, to illustrate oddities in censorship practices, noting how their film releases coincided yet they were invited to different countries.
When asked about his outlook for Egypt and the world, Saleh admitted to some pessimism in the short term but remained hopeful for the future, inspired by his daughters and the prospect of change with new generations.
Regarding his future projects, Saleh stated he currently has no plans to revisit themes involving Egypt under al-Sisi, having already covered this topic extensively.
“I have now completed three projects concerning al-Sisi, and I feel that chapter is closed,” he affirmed.
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
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