# Boy from Heaven

Boy from Heaven (Arabic: صبي من الجنة, romanized: ṣabiyy min al Janna), released in most English-speaking countries as Cairo Conspiracy, is a 2022 Arabic-language political thriller film directed by Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh. The film is a co-production between Sweden, France and Finland.
It had its world premiere on 20 May 2022 at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. Saleh was awarded Best Screenplay, and the film received the François Chalais Prize at Cannes. It was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards but was not nominated.

## Plot

Adam, the son of a fisherman from a village near El Manzala, accepts an offer to study at the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Shortly after his arrival, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar suddenly dies and a power struggle to replace him ensues. The NSA (security service) strives to install sheikh Beblawi, but he has two competitors: neutral sheikh Negm, who is blind, and a Salafi sheikh Durani.
Adam makes friends with Zizu, who is an informer for Colonel Ibrahim from the NSA. Zizu is soon killed, and Adam tries to help solve his murder by working for Ibrahim. He infiltrates a group of extremists and gathers information about them, but he learns that they had no involvement with the murder. Once the extremists realise his role, they attempt to kill Adam, but Ibrahim stops them and forces their leader to quit his position as Durani's assistant and turn it over to Adam.
Sheikh Negm turns himself in to the NSA and claims that he killed Zizu. The NSA is forced to arrest him despite knowing that he is not guilty. While doing menial tasks for Durani, Adam discovers that he has an illegitimate child, which disqualifies him. Sheikh Beblawi is elected Grand Imam.
Ibrahim's superior, Sobhi, orders him to kill Adam, revealing that NSA murdered Zizu too. Ibrahim is shocked and tries to help Adam to escape, but he is captured. Sobhi attempts to pressure Adam into confessing that he murdered Zizu. Ibrahim too gets arrested, but he manages to persuade General Sakran to arrange a meeting between Adam and Negm: Negm knows about NSA's role in Zizu's murder and plans to reveal it to the media during the trial; Ibrahim thinks that Adam can persuade Negm to reconsider. Adam succeeds and is let go.
Adam returns to his home village wearing al-Azhar's signature turban. He thanks his village imam, but is unable to say what he has learnt at the university. In the final scene of the film he joins his father in the fishing boat.

## Cast

* Tawfeek Barhom as Adam
* Fares Fares as Ibrahim
* Mohammad Bakri as General Al Sakran
* Makram Khoury as Sheikh Negm
* Mehdi Dehbi as Zizo
* Moe Ayoub as Sobhy
* Sherwan Haji as Soliman
* Abduljabbar Alsuhili as Alasfour
* Ahmed Lassaoui as Raed
* Jalal Altawil as Sheikh Beblawi
* Ramzi Choukair as Sheikh Durani
* Yunus Albayrak as Sharia Teacher
* Mouloud Ayad as Nazim
* Okan Bozkuş as Student
* Youssef Salama Zeki as Biology Teacher
* Ayman Fathy as Soldier
* Amr Mosad as Harun

## Production

The film was shot primarily at the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

## Release

The film had its world premiere on 20 May 2022 at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or.
It was released in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia as Cairo Conspiracy.

## Reception
### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads, "Although it may not fully unlock the promise of its tension-rich setting and premise, Cairo Conspiracy's strong performances and sophisticated script offer solidly satisfying compensation". According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 14 critics, the film received "generally favorable" reviews.

### Accolades

The film was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, and made the December shortlist.
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Cannes Film Festival | 28 May 2022 | Best Screenplay | Tarik Saleh | Won |
| Cannes Film Festival | 28 May 2022 | François Chalais Prize | Tarik Saleh | Won |
| Cannes Film Festival | 28 May 2022 | Palme d'Or | Tarik Saleh | Nominated |
| César Awards | 24 February 2023 | Best Foreign Film | Boy from Heaven | Nominated |
| Guldbagge Awards | 23 January 2023 | Best Screenplay | Tarik Saleh | Won |
| Guldbagge Awards | 23 January 2023 | Best Film | Kristina Åberg, Fredrik Zander | Nominated |
| Guldbagge Awards | 23 January 2023 | Best Director | Tarik Saleh | Nominated |
| Guldbagge Awards | 23 January 2023 | Best Editing | Theis Schmidt | Nominated |
| Guldbagge Awards | 23 January 2023 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Tawfeek Barhom | Nominated |
| Guldbagge Awards | 23 January 2023 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Fares Fares | Nominated |
| Guldbagge Awards | 23 January 2023 | Best Costume Design | Denise Östholm | Nominated |
| Lumières Award | 16 January 2023 | Best International Co-Production | Boy from Heaven | Nominated |
| Magritte Awards | 4 March 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Mehdi Dehbi | Nominated |