Ihe charmed us with Secret Cairoa crime thriller set in Egypt on the brink of the explosive Arab Spring. He blew us away Cairo Conspiracyan authentic film noir set against the blurry screen of a Koranic university. And with Republican Eagle (in theaters since Wednesday), Swedish-Egyptian director Tarik Saleh, 53, delivers the third and final part of an unofficial trilogy about the workings of authoritarian power in an Egypt that has been in complete chaos since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
In this third film, screened in official competition at the last Cannes Film Festival, the star of Egyptian cinema, Coptic Christian George Fahmi, was approached by a government envoy to play President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi in person, in a future biopic in his glory, produced with great resources. Initially reluctant – he hated the ruling military junta – the actor had little choice given the pressure and would eventually find comfort in this prestigious new role. Without realizing it, he will actually participate in the most dangerous plot and, moreover, start an affair with the wife of the Minister of Defense (played by actress Zineb Triki, aka Nadia El Mansour in the series. Legend Office).
Between Hitchcock and the Coen brothers – two influences that Tarik Saleh claims –, Republican Eagle almost loses the excellence of its two predecessors, but largely satisfies us with the class of its staging, the breadth of the universe it reveals (behind the scenes of the Egyptian film industry and its infiltration by power), and the always impeccable skill of its main actor, Fares Fares. Meeting in Paris with the filmmaker (who lives in Sweden and shot his thriller in Turkey), it was clear and fascinating about the current state of his home country, which he has yet to finish examining through his cinema.
The main thing is: With Republican Eagle – where the Egyptian regime is producing films to glorify President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi – is your aim to reveal the relationship between power and artists in Egypt?
Tarik Saleh: This film is not only about the Egyptian film industry. This could easily be seen as a metaphor for Hollywood and the power of entertainment, something those in power are well aware of. All the great powers – China, America, France, now Saudi Arabia – understand the power of storytelling, fiction and art. The powerful fiction industry is also a superpower. We would be wrong to say that this is soft power: for me, it is hard power.
China and Korea understand this very well. My four daughters download the Duolingo app to learn Korean and better keep up with Korean and K Pop series: that’s the real power! The United States has done more to exert its power over France by making its young generation want to listen to rock’n’roll music, rather than attacking you! It’s smarter to open McDonald’s and Starbucks than to drop bombs on society.
Aren’t you afraid to point it out and mock President al-Sissi directly?
I have no choice! I’m not brave, I’m not brave, but I make films that take place in the real world. I knew I would be telling this story in very real present-day Egypt, and that obviously meant that Al-Sisi would be in the story. It’s impossible to ignore it. We could imagine making a film about a current French president by creating a fictional president, but that would be impossible in Egypt. Al-Sissi, it’s Al-Sissi! He will rule until his death.
Your film suggests that there was more freedom under President Mubarak (who ruled Egypt between 1981 and 2011) than there is now under Al-Sisi. How do you explain this difference?
Hosni Mubarak felt so secure in his position that he gave little leeway in criticizing the authorities. Artists allow themselves a certain amount of criticism, in cinema and theater. I even remember a drama starring Adel Imam, one of the biggest stars of Egyptian cinema, called Leader and who lightly mocked – I mean slightly – Mubarak. The show has been performed for many years, many people come from Saudi Arabia to see it. Such a scene is impossible today. President Mubarak then handed over power after the Arab Spring, which was a generational revolution, as important to me as the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
The Muslim Brotherhood took power, they were right-wing extremists who dreamed of establishing an Islamic state, but most importantly, Egyptians were very patriotic. Culture is at the heart of a country’s identity, not religion! The public quickly became fed up with the Muslim Brotherhood, giving rise to the Tamarod movement in April 2013 (a petition signed by millions of Egyptians demanding the resignation of President Mohamed Morsi from the Muslim Brotherhood, Editor’s Note), which sparked massive demonstrations in June, then Morsi’s ouster by General Al-Sissi in July. It was a new coup supported by the people.
There is something I agree with about what Al-Sisi has done: he has restored a sense of national identity. When the ISIS group killed Egyptian Christians in Libya, Al-Sisi bombed them, sending a very clear message to ISIS: “If you attack Egyptians, no matter whether they are Christians or Muslims, we will protect them. » The problem is that Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi was a soldier. He did not fully believe in democratic elections. He started professionalizing the army, not to defend Egypt from foreign powers, but because he did not want to be overthrown like Mubarak. He was very dangerous.
Are art and propaganda compatible?
Of course: many historical masterpieces – the Sistine Chapel, the pyramids, Eisenstein’s films – are propaganda! They served to project the power of the Church, the Pharaoh, or the Bolsheviks. There are many other examples throughout art history. Free art also exists, but is more of a bracket. It is interesting to see that once an artist becomes successful, he is courted by those in power. This happened to me, especially from Saudi Arabia and France.
You were recently invited to an official dinner by the Swedish government, but you did not attend. What for ?
I hate this government. I think they have damaged the country and sowed division by blaming immigration… When politicians try to divert attention from their mistakes, they blame people who have no power, who don’t even have passports. We all compromise our values all the time. The question this film asks and that artists often face regarding power is: to what extent are we willing to sacrifice some of our privileges in order to maintain dignity and truth? I found myself in this situation and I believe it is best to avoid giving up at all costs.
Do you think the Arab Spring might happen again in Egypt?
Yes, I believe that. Look at how things are developing in Morocco… Things often start in the Maghreb, then spread to Egypt and its 120 million people. Then it spread throughout the Middle East. I can’t predict the future, but I hope something new happens. Maybe not in the form of revolution, but reform. In many cases, revolutionaries become the new tyrants. You, in France, know this better than any other country in the world.
Will you continue making films about Egypt?
Very. This is not a closed chapter. But I’m done with Al-Sissi! I did three laps with him. And he survived (laughs)! I will definitely continue to make political thrillers, sometimes set in Egypt, sometimes regionally. The Egyptian people will be involved because I care about their fate.
One last purely pop culture question: You briefly worked on a sci-fi series that no longer exists Western Worldfor HBO. What do you learn from this unusual experience on your CV?
To find
Kangaroo today
Answer
I directed two episodes of the second season, yes. My first day on set, I felt a lot of pressure when I realized that Christopher Nolan was standing right behind me – he was visiting his brother Jonathan (creator and showrunner of Western WorldEditor’s Note). It’s a very ambitious series, Jonathan Nolan is truly a genius, with a very mathematical mind and a film buff like Christopher. Elon Musk has been on set several times. She was very close to Jonah and his girlfriend at the time of her role on the show. He and Jonathan are having an interesting discussion about what can be done with AI and what will happen in the near future. When you see Western World from this point of view, it is very interesting!
Republican Eagle by Tarik Saleh (2:07). In the room.
