Tarik Saleh’s Eagles of the Republic invited for TIFF Centrepiece

Tarek Saleh’s Eagles of the Republic is presented as part of this year’s TIFF Centrepiece programme where the film is to receive its North American premiere. Selected as this year’s International Feature Academy Award submission for Sweden, the film stars Fares Fares (Chernobyl, The Nile Hilton Incident), Amr Waked, Cherien Dabis, Zineb Triki and Lyna Khoudri. International sales are handled by Playtime.

September 1, 2025

SYNOPSIS

Egypt’s most adored actor George Fahmy is pressured to star in a propaganda film commissioned by the highest authorities. He reluctantly accepts the role and finds himself thrown into the inner circle of power. Like a moth drawn to the flame he begins an affair with the mysterious wife of the general overseeing the film.

Eagles Of The Republic is the third and final film in Tarik Saleh’s Cairo trilogy after Sundance Grand Jury prize winner The Nile Hilton Incident (2017) and Cannes screenplay winner Cairo Conspiracy (aka Boy from Heaven, 2022). The film is this year's International Feature submission for Sweden at the Academy Awards.

TARIK SALEH ABOUT HIS FILM

“Eagles of the Republic is about truth and lies. Its main character, George Fahmy, is a pathological liar, both at work and in his private life. It’s a talent that has made him rich and famous, and one that could lead to his demise.

Conversely, Dr Mansour (ed: the regime’s eyes and ears on the film set) embodies rectitude: he never lies. I think it’s a very film noir approach to make the antagonist the more honest of the two characters.

I really loved making Eagles of the Republic for many reasons, but in particular because I wanted to work with Egyptian actors. They understood the meaning behind every word of the script, which enabled me to go even further than I had originally written. They had a deep knowledge of their characters and the situation they’re in, as if the narrative material were flowing through their veins.”

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Tarik Saleh has a background as one of the most influential graffiti artists in Europe in the 80’s. His feature film debut came with Metropia (2009), a dystopian animation with Stellan and Alexander Skarsgård, Juliette Lewis, Vincent Gallo and Udo Kier that premiered at Venice as opening film of the Critics’ Week. The Nile Hilton Incident won The Grand Jury Prize at Sundance (2017). As well as being nominated for the César for Best Foreign Film, the film was a box office hit in France where it registered well over 400,000 admissions. Saleh won the Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 for Cairo Conspiracy (aka Boy From Heaven), Sweden’s Oscar entry in 2023, which also received a Best Foreign Film César nomination and passed the 500,000-admission mark in France.

TIFF SCREENINGS*

12 September, 6:30pm (18:30), Scotiabank 1

13 September, 5:45pm (17:45), Scotiabank 4

14 September, 9am (09:00), Scotiabank 11

PRESS AND INDUSTRY SCREENING*

04 September, 6:15pm (18:15), Scotiabank 10

*Always check the official TIFF website for any last-minute programme changes