Overview

• ‘Eagles of the Republic,’ directed by Swedish-Egyptian filmmaker Tarik Saleh, debuted in the main competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews.
• The film follows fictional Egyptian superstar George Fahmy, played by Fares Fares, who is coerced into starring in a propaganda biopic glorifying President al-Sisi under threats to his teenage son.
• Shot in Turkey with a largely non-Egyptian cast, the production incorporates real footage of al-Sisi and a lookalike actor to enhance its critique of authoritarian control over art.
• The story examines the tension between artistic integrity and political coercion, with government agents rewriting scripts to serve state propaganda.
• With a $10 million budget, one of the largest for an Arabic-language production, the film is now seeking U.S. distribution following its Cannes premiere.