Boy From Heaven

Synopsis

"Boy from Heaven" is about the fisherman's boy Adam, who is offered the nearly unattainable opportunity to study at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the absolute center of Sunni Muslim power in the world. Shortly after his arrival in Cairo, the head of the university, Sheikh Al-Azhar, suddenly passes away, and Adam is involuntarily thrust into a brutal power struggle between the religious and political elite in modern-day Egypt.

Production Facts

Tarik Saleh's political thriller "Boy from Heaven" has been selected for the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival. This film is Tarik Saleh's fourth co-production with Film i Väst. The previous three are "The Nile Hilton Incident", which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2017, "Tommy" (2014), and "Metropia" (2009).

In the cast, we see Fares Fares and Tawfeek Barhom, Mehdi Dehbi, Mohammad Bakri, Makram J. Khoury, and Sherwan Haji.

Filming took place in Turkey, Gothenburg, and Cairo. In Istanbul, Al-Azhar University was staged at the historic Suleymaniye Mosque.

"Boy from Heaven" is produced by Kristina Åberg and Fredrik ZanderB, Atmo, in co-production with Memento Production, Bufo, Film i Väst, Sveriges Television, Mikael Ahlström Films, Haymaker, ARTE France Cinéma, Post Control, Final Cut For Real, in collaboration with Memento International, Memento Distribution, and Movies Inspired, together with Canal+, Ciné+, ARTE France, YLE, and DR, and with support from the Swedish Film Institute, Eurimages, Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, Centre National du cinéma et de l’image animée – Institut Français, Region Île-de-France, in partnership with CNC Finnish Film Foundation, Business Finland – Audio Visual Production Incentive, The Danish Film Institute, Creative Europe Programme – MEDIA of the European Union, and DR. Swedish distribution: Triart Film.

2 award

Festival de Cannes — 2022

1 award, 6 nominations

Guldbaggen — 2023