Cairo Time

2009 1h 28m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🍅

80%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 85🍅80%Rotten Tomatoes●67Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 6,962

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In Cairo on her own as she waits for her husband, Juliette finds herself caught in a whirlwind romance with his friend Tareq, a retired cop. As Tareq escorts Juliette around the city, they find themselves in the middle of a brief affair that catches them both unawares.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Patricia Clarkson
Juliette Grant
Alexander Siddig
Tareq Khalifa
Elena Anaya
Kathryn
Amina Annabi
Yasmeen
Tom McCamus
Mark
Mona Hala
Jameelah
Fadia Nadda
Hanan
Mohamed Abdel Fatah
Customs Officer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ruba Nadda
Writers: Ruba Nadda
Languages: Arabic, English
Countries: Canada, Egypt, Ireland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Canada, Egypt, Ireland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ruba Nadda, shot by Luc Montpellier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Niall Byrne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Teresa Hannigan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig and Elena Anaya carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ruba Nadda directs. Luc Montpellier behind the camera. Niall Byrne scores. Teresa Hannigan cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada, Egypt, Ireland. Dialogue in Arabic, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.
4International production across 3 countries: Canada, Egypt, Ireland.
5Directed by Ruba Nadda, shot by Luc Montpellier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Niall Byrne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Teresa Hannigan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig and Elena Anaya carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0896529 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 85 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.