Walad min al janna: Twisted political thriller about a simple boy in Cairo who becomes a pawn in a political and religious power struggle.
plot and background
Adam (Tawfeek Barhom) is the son of a simple fisherman. It is a tremendous privilege that he is invited to study at Al-Azhar University in Cairo – the epicenter of power for Sunni Muslims. Shortly after Adam’s arrival, the university’s highest cleric, the Grand Imam, is killed. The dubious government official Ibrahim (Fares Fares) recruits Adam as an informant for Egyptian intelligence. Thus, unbeknownst to him, the young man becomes a pawn in an unprecedented power struggle between the country’s religious and political elite.
“The Cairo Conspiracy” – background, cast, theatrical release
“The Cairo Conspiracy” is the latest film from Egyptian-Swedish director and animator Tarik Saleh, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. In 2017, Saleh already won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for his thriller “The Nile Hilton Affair.” And also his new spy thriller “The Cairo Conspiracy” (English “Boy From Heaven”), did not go empty-handed at the Festival de Cannes 2022. The film premiered here and won the prize for Best Screenplay. The film’s success is also due to the exceptional ensemble of actors led by Tawfeek Barhom (“The Way oft he Wind”), Fares Fares (“The Despicable”) and Mohammad Bakri (“Homeland”), as well as cinematographer Pierre Aïm (“Welcome to the Sh’tis”).
“The Cairo Conspiracy” also made it onto the Oscar shortlist for the “Best International Feature Film” category as one of 15 candidates, however the spy thriller came up empty at the Academy Awards ceremony.
The German theatrical release date for the suspenseful thriller is April 6, 2023.
