Picture of the film BOY FROM HEAVEN (WALAD MIN AL JANNA) by Tarik SALEH © Atmo Righs AB
Walad Min Al Janna (Boy From Heaven): power struggles in Cairo
After dissecting the quickening of Egypt's revolution in The Nile Hilton Incident (Hadith Alnayl Ilitun) in 2017, Tarik Saleh makes his in Competition debut at the Festival de Cannes with Boy From Heaven (Walad Min Al Janna). The Swedish filmmaker, journalist and artist returns to Egypt for a fresh investigation: untangling the threads of the political and religious fabric of the country's leading university.
Young Adam (Tawfeek Barhom) is the son of a fisherman, and has been accepted at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, one of the world's top institutions for Sunni Islam scholars. On the day classes start, the Grand Imam dies unexpectedly, leaving the university rudderless and without a leader. Adam soon finds himself enmeshed in the power-play and intrigue afoot among Egypt's religious and political elite.
No stranger to political slants and themes, the Egyptian-heritage director rolls up his sleeves and dives straight back into what he does best with this feature film. Nearly twenty years ago now, Tarik Saleh produced an award-winning documentary on Guantánamo Bay's detention camps. Now, he paints out a portrait of characters whose primary devotion remains unclear: are they dedicated to Islam, or themselves?
The first few extracts hint at a pacy, gripping thriller about power struggles in determining who will be the next Grand Imam. The filmmaker's experience as a journalist shines through in the meticulous detail poured into each scene, from the streets of Cairo to Al-Azhar University, the story's beating heart.
