Tarik Saleh’s Eagles of the Republic, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value and Oliver Hermanus’ The History of Sound have been selected for the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where they will compete for the prestigious Palme d’Or. Tarik Saleh and Joachim Trier have previously been honored in the Official Competition at Cannes and Oliver Hermanus was double Oscar nominated for Living. The films are co-produced with Film i Väst.
“We congratulate the nominated co-productions and wish them the best of luck. Competing for a Palme d’Or in Cannes is one of the highest honors in the world of film. This is the ninth consecutive year that a co-production has been selected, and we are immensely proud of that. It is both empowering and uplifting for Swedish cinema that Tarik Saleh once again proves his place among the world’s top directors. It serves as an inspiration and a joy for the entire industry. Together, the three films showcase a wide range of themes and storytelling. They share the common foundation of portraying humanity’s struggle to make the right choices while still daring to be ourselves,” says Kristina Börjeson, Head of Production at Film i Väst.
Learn About the Nominated Films:
Tarik Saleh – Eagles of the Republic
Eagles of the Republic is the concluding chapter in director and screenwriter Tarik Saleh’s Cairo trilogy, following Cannes winner Boy from Heaven aka Cairo Conspiracy (Best Screenplay, Cannes 2022) and The Nile Hilton Incident. The film was partially shot in Gothenburg, with CAN Film and DUPP Film contributing to the post-production. SF Studios will distribute the film in the Nordic countries, with a theatrical release planned for fall 2025.
“Our ambition is to tell stories to the world. There’s no greater stage than Cannes. The making of this movie can only be described as a small miracle. Now me and my team can’t wait to share it with our audience.”, says Tarik Saleh.
In Eagles of the Republic Egypt’s most adored actor, George Fahmy (Fares Fares) is pressured to star in a 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.
The international star-studded cast includes Fares Fares, French actress Lyna Khoudri, Franco-Moroccan Zineb Triki, Egyptian Hollywood actor Amr Waked, American-Palestinian Cherien Dabis, and Finnish-Syrian Sherwan Haji.
Film i Väst previously co-produced Tarik Saleh’s Metropia, The Nile Hilton Incident, and Boy from Heaven.
Eagles of the Republic is produced by Unlimited Stories (Linus Stöhr Torell), Apparaten (Linda Mutawi, Johan Lindström), and Memento (Alexandre Mallet-Guy), in co-production with Ström Pictures, Bufo, Films Boutique, SVT, Film i Väst, ARTE France Cinéma, SF Studios, Mikael Ahlström Films, Playtime & Post Control. Supported by the Swedish Film Institute, Playtime, Canal+, Ciné+, Eurimages, the Nordic Film & TV Fund, Bayerischer Rundfunk, ARTE France, the Danish Film Institute, Centre National du cinéma et de l’image animée, Paris Region Fund, the Finnish Film Foundation, Business Finland Oy, YLE, and DR. Nordic Distribution: SF Studios. International Sales: Playtime.
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Sentimental Value marks Joachim Trier’s third film nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes. His previous film, The Worst Person in the World, was nominated for both a Palme d’Or and two Oscars. Sentimental Value is produced by Mer Film and Eye Eye Pictures, in co-production with Zentropa Sweden and Film i Väst. It was partially shot in Strömstad, with VP Nordic providing virtual production services.
Joachim Trier’s sixth film Sentimental Value is an intimate and moving exploration of family memories, and the reconciliatory power of art.
The film follows actress Nora (Renate Reinsve) and her sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) as their estranged father Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård) suddenly reappears after many years. Once a renowned film director, Gustav offers Nora the lead role in his new film—but working with her father is the last thing she wants.
American actress Elle Fanning also appears in Sentimental Value. In 2022, Renate Reinsve won Best Actress at Cannes for her role in The Worst Person in the World.
“This is an intimate film about a family, and I hope people can see themselves in it. It’s an incredible joy to be back at Cannes. I’m especially proud of the cast’s performances and look forward to audiences experiencing them. I’ve closely followed the films selected for Cannes over the years, and it’s an honor to show one there myself,” says Joachim Trier.
The screenplay was written by Trier and longtime collaborator Eskil Vogt. The pair have worked together on all of Trier’s previous features: The Worst Person in the World (2021), Thelma (2017), Louder Than Bombs (2015), Oslo, August 31st (2011), and Reprise (2006). (*All co-produced with Film i Väst.)
The film is produced by Maria Ekerhovd (Mer Film) and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar (Eye Eye Pictures), in co-production with Film i Väst, Zentropa (Sisse Graum Jørgensen), Zentropa Sweden (Lizette Jonjic), MK Productions (Nathanael Karmitz), Lumen Production (Juliette Schrameck), Komplizen Film (Janine Jackowski, Jonas Dornbach), with support from the Norwegian Film Institute, Oslo Film Fund, Storyline, the Swedish Film Institute, Danish Film Institute, Eurimages, Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, FFA, BBC Film (Eva Yates), Arte Grand Accord, the Normandy Regional Fund, CNC (France), and the Nordic Film & TV Fund. International Sales: Mk2. US Distribution: Neon. Nordic Distribution: Nordisk Film.
Oliver Hermanus – The History of Sound
The History of Sound is a historical romantic drama directed by Oliver Hermanus. Based on the short story of the same name by Ben Shattuck, the film follows two men – Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor – who fall in love as they travel together recording the stories and songs of their fellow countrymen during World War I.
Cast: Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers, Gladiator II), Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country, The Crown), Molly Price, Alison Bartlett, Michael Schantz.
Oliver Hermanus was born in South Africa in 1983. He has directed five previous films, with his most recent, Living, receiving two Academy Award nominations. Living was co-produced by the Gothenburg-based company Filmgate Films (Sean Wheelan) and Film i Väst.
The film is produced by Film4, Lisa Ciuffetti, Andrew Kortschak, Sara Murphy, and Thérèsa Ryan, in co-production with Filmgate Films, Sean Wheelan, and Film i Väst. The film was partially post-produced at Filmgate in Gothenburg.
