Exploring Vision, Trust, and Storytelling: An Interview with Tarik Saleh
Tarik Saleh’s latest film Eagles of the Republic is a gripping political thriller, offering a pointed commentary on the state of democracy in Egypt. The film, which premiered in the Main Competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and has been selected as Sweden’s official Oscar submission, marks the final installment of Saleh’s acclaimed Cairo Trilogy, following The Nile Hilton Incident (2017) and Boy from Heaven (2022).
Saleh is known for his distinctive visual style, bold storytelling and complex characters navigating tense political realities. Reflecting on his creative process in crafting sharp thrillers, Saleh emphasises the importance of writing.
The key element is “to dare to let the script and characters surprise me as a writer—to let them do things against my will, and for me to just record their devious actions,” Saleh points out.
The award-winning screenwriter and director will lead the fourth Söderlångvik Masterclass on 18–21 September. Together with a select group of Nordic directors and actors, Saleh will unpack how creative collaboration and directorial vision take shape from the spark of an idea to the hunt for finance and the intense rhythm of production, and finally to festivals, distribution and sales.
Looking back at his early days as a filmmaker, Saleh remembers the most challenging stages in the filmmaking journey: “As an emerging filmmaker the biggest challenge for me was to convince people to finance my film—what is connected to that is not to compromise your vision.”
“I hope that I can inspire people to listen to their inner voice,” Saleh adds, describing what he wishes to share with the Masterclass participants.
At its core, the creative process and filmmaking are built on collaboration and trust, not only in your own vision, but also in your team and the artistic visions around you. Saleh emphasises that as a director it’s not just about your own performance: “It’s about making other artists fulfil your vision for you, to make them perform.”
Saleh also reflects on his longtime collaboration and bond between actor Fares Fares, which extend beyond film sets: “Fares is my best friend, we are very close personally. But, even if I know almost everything about the man, his acting is still a mystery to me. All I know is that he can absolutely transform—we will talk a lot about the script, not necessarily about his character. Some scenes in the films are inspired by him, more on a very basic human level—what I love about him is that he will look exactly how I feel, but that I can’t express.”
Fares Fares is also the lead in Eagles of the Republic. The film follows Egypt’s most adored actor, George Fahmy, who suddenly falls into disgrace with the authorities. Eagles of the Republic will have a special Behind the Scenes screening at the Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy at Bio Rext Lasipalatsi on 21 September, followed by an in-depth conversation between Saleh and Variety journalist Marta Balaga. Tickets go on sale on 4 September at hiff.fi.