When a superstar of Egyptian cinema agrees to play General Sissi in a biopic commissioned by the country's highest authorities, he throws himself into the den of the wolf. This is what Tarik Saleh says in The Eagles of the Republicpresented at the last Cannes Film Festival. Fares Fares, the filmmaker's favorite actor The Cairo Conspiracy et Cairo confidential embodies George Fahmy, an adored star who will burn his wings in the fires of power.

“The corruption of an artist is a slow process,” explains Tarik Saleh. George Fahmy lets himself be swallowed up little by little by ambition, by weakness then by fear. He pays dearly for the success he so desired.” This unrepentant seducer does not help his affairs by forming a secret affair with the wife of an influential soldier (Zineb Trinki discovered in The Legends Office). The latter for his part covets a beautiful actress played by Lyna Khoudri whom he will lead to his downfall.

Hollywood sur Nil

“I don’t believe that an artist is obliged to put themselves in danger or compromise themselves to succeed,” specifies Tarik Saleh. I wanted to celebrate Egyptian cinema in all its flamboyance.” Artists are gambling with their lives if they do not bend to the will of politicians, an exercise all the more delicate as they were pulled back and forth between different politicians, each more devious than the other. The filmmaker got the idea for his film after seeing a largely hagiographic television series about General Sissi. “He was played by a handsome, tall, haired kid even though he is small and doesn’t have a single hair on the stone,” laughs Tarik Saleh.

This cruel and delightful massacre game is also intended to be a declaration of love for the 7th art. Tarik Saleh describes an industry that he loves with passion despite its violence. “It wasn't much harder than Hollywood in the past,” he comments. Contract actors were also enslaved by the studios that controlled them. Although they did not risk their lives in such an obvious way, some lost their lives.”

Almost without compromise

For his part, the fifty-year-old filmmaker refuses to make any compromises...or almost. “The Tarik director argues with the Tarik screenwriter in a schizophrenic fight and the author sometimes obeys the filmmaker,” he jokes. The problem is that when you start to compromise, you don’t know where to stop.” The hero, George Fahmy, is drawn into this diabolical spiral which gives rise to some delicious scenes. We will remember a sequence of speeches that was as funny as it was anxiety-provoking.

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Fares Fares manages to give enough humanity to the character for the audience to feel empathy for him. “When General Sissi came to power, he said that cinema and television were wonderful means of controlling the population,” explains Tarik Saleh. The filmmaker remains optimistic. “I have confidence in the youth who will eventually get fed up with these old guys who cling to power. I also believe that the future of cinema is in Europe where artists are freer to express themselves.” Tarik Saleh's voice is heard powerfully in The Eagles of the Republic.