Cairo Conspiracy

2022 2h 1m FR

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 302

Thriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A fisherman's son is offered the ultimate privilege to study at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the epicenter of power of Sunni Islam. Shortly after his arrival, the university’s highest ranking religious leader, the Grand Imam, dies and the young student becomes a pawn in a ruthless power struggle between Egypt's religious and political elite.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Tawfeek Barhom
Adam
Fares Fares
Ibrahim
Mohammad Bakri
General Al Sakran
Makram J. Khoury
Sheikh Negm
Mehdi Dehbi
Zizo
Younes Medhat
Sobhy
Yunus Albayrak
Teacher Of Sharia
Sherwan Haji
Soliman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tarik Saleh
Writers: Sune Elskær, Tarik Saleh
Languages: Arabic
Countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden

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

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 52% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "The Cairo Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tarik Saleh, shot by Pierre Aïm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tawfeek Barhom and Fares Fares and Mohammad Bakri carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt15452062 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tarik Saleh directs. Pierre Aïm behind the camera. Theis Schmidt cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden. Dialogue in Arabic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 52% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 4 years ago.
3International production across 4 countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden.
4Part of the "The Cairo Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Tarik Saleh, shot by Pierre Aïm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Theis Schmidt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tawfeek Barhom and Fares Fares and Mohammad Bakri carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt15452062 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 31 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Pierre Aïm
Editing: Theis Schmidt
Production design: Roger Rosenberg
Makeup / hair: Pia Cornelius
VFX supervisor: Alex Hansson
Sound: Pontus Borg
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,047,000
Box office: $3,646,605
Return: 52% of budget
Original language: FR
IMDB: Cairo Conspiracy (2022)

Awards

Greta

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

The Cairo Trilogy

This modern trio of films features actor Fares Fares. The films operate as a searing critique of Egyptian political, religious, and social institutions. The Nile Hilton Incident (2017): A neo-noir thriller set in Cairo just before the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. Cairo Conspiracy / Boy from Heaven (2022): An intense political drama set inside Cairo's Al-Azhar University. Eagles of the Republic (2025): Concludes the trilogy by focusing on an Egyptian actor pressured to star in government propaganda.

Also by

Tarik Saleh

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-04-18
★ 7/10
Young fisherman "Adam" (Tawfeek Barhom) receives a letter that is going to change his life. He has been accepted into the prestigious Al-Azhar University and after an emotional farewell with his family he sets off to the hubbub of Cairo. Simultaneously, the Grand Imam dies. This is a very important event for the Sunni community, but it is also an highly significant one for the government too. The President makes it known through his National Security agency whom he wants to succeed to the role. To ensure that the election delivers the required outcome, the rather dishevelled looking "Col. Ibrahim" (Fares Fares) is drafted in. Now he already has an "angel" working for him at the school, but when "Zizo" (Mehdi Dehbi) is found slaughtered in the forecourt, the Colonel must find a new informant - and he alights on the young and impressionable "Adam" - using an intriguingly effective carrot and stick combination of threats and promises. The rest of the film follows the rather perilous path the young scholar must take if he is to facilitate his puppet-master whilst protecting his family from their revenge should he fail - and staying safe from his colleagues who have their own form of sedition on their minds. What we have here is quite a plausible and at times effectively menacing look at just how easily the organs of the state can manipulate, or cause to be manipulated, the most public and seemingly inscrutable of processes. Indeed, after a short while there is a rather depressing inevitability to the whole election procedure! The actual story is not the best. There are a few things that remain unexplained - much of the activities of the honourable "Blind Sheikh" (Makram Khoury), for example, are largely undercooked; and there are one or two scenarios that end just too briefly and conveniently. At one stage I thought it was heading for a really tough and brutal ending - and that would have worked better for me than the one we are offered - but see what you think about that. This is a well written, paced and dark political drama that challenges the status quo and leaves a rather bitter taste in the mouth. The two leading actors are on good form and the film is certainly thought-provoking. The location architecture is glorious too!

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