The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 19 May, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or.[3] It was theatrically released in France on 12 November 2025 by Memento, and in Sweden on 14 November. It was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Premise
George Fahmy is one of Egypt's most popular actors, working on B movies that must comply with the country censorship. While meeting his teenager son Ramy in a restaurant, he orders the wait to remove a man presumably stalking him. During a date with Donya, his much younger actress girlfriend, Fahmy is approached by a group including a woman named Suzanne and probed about his loyalty to Egypt and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, to which he responds sarcastically. Fahmy is promptly replaced in his current project and his trailer is removed from the studio lot. Fawzy, Fahmy's gay agent, informs him about a government official proposal to a movie about the president role in the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état. Fahmy, who is a Christian Coptic, declines the role as he is not Muslim or has el-Sisi height, while confides to Fawzy that he would never accept being used as a propaganda toll.
Rula Haddad, Fahmy's recurrent co-star, is pressured to denounce him on live television for propaganda against the regime, but decides not do it in the name of their long standing professional partnership. Shortly after, a frustrated Fahmy drives through Cairo, followed by armed men who threaten his son unless he complies with the regime. Driving to his estranged wife's apartment, he checks on Ramy and decides to take the role.
At the public unveiling of his casting, the man stalking Fahmy is introduced to him as Mansour, a senior presidential aide who will oversee the film production. Following a clash on set about the "revolution" historical accuracy, Mansour reveals that Fahmy's home is bugged by repeating some acting advice he had given Donya, with whom he has become sexually impotent. At a dinner for officials involved with the film, Fahmy meets the Defense Minister and learns that he is Suzanne's husband. The military officials force Fahmy to agree to deliver a speech praising the president when he attends the Egyptian Military Academy for Armed Forces Day on 6 October.
Fahmy is invited to a film industry red carpet and takes Ramy instead of Donya. He sees Suzanne and flirts with her, leading to a hotel tryst. When he returns home and isn't able to show any photos with Ramy, Donya reveals she knows about his photos with Suzanne and leaves him. Shooting on the film continues and Fahmy pleads Rula's case to be un-blacklisted with the Defense Minister. Mansour reveals that he knows about Suzanne's affair and that the minister is obsessed with Rula. He threatens Fahmy with a forged suicide note and requests that Rula to meet with the minister while wearing a wearing a wire. At the subsequent meeting, Mansour hears a scuffle break out.
Before Fahmy gives his speech at the military academy, an aide requests that he salute as he finishes. When Fahmy does so, several parade participants begin shooting to try and assassinate the president. Fahmy escapes onto a military helicopter, where Mansour interrogates some captives before throwing them off. The helicopter lands at a secure bunker, where they learn that Sisi is alive, the Republican Guard has suppressed the coup attempt and censored it from media, and that the Defense Minister is with the troops. Mansour reveals that the dinner Fahmy had attended with the minister had been a coup planning session and arrests all participants except for Fahmy.
Mansour orders a reluctant Fahmy to meet with Suzanne to determine if she was involved. Suzanne is confused when confronted and Fahmy warns her to flee the country and that they cannot meet again. On the way out, the Defense Minister intercepts Fahmy and Suzanne, tells the former that Rula died after a fall off a balcony, and orders Fahmy to lie to investigators about his involvement in the coup attempt under threat of killing his loved ones. Fahmy returns to his wife's apartment and finds that Ramy has been kidnapped before he is taken away by Mansour's men. Mansour tells Fahmy that Fawzy was killed and Fahmy tells Mansour that Suzanne is innocent, revealing the Defense Minister's request, and begs him to save Ramy. Mansour orders the minister's arrest based on this, reunites Fahmy with his son, and has the minister arrested and executed by firing squad. Some time later, the film is released and Fahmy joins some old men betting on horse racing.
The film is the final chapter of Saleh's "Cairo trilogy", following The Nile Hilton Incident (2017) and Boy from Heaven (2022), all three films tackle state corruption in different political and religious spheres of the Egyptian society.[2][6] Saleh, the son of a Egyptian immigrant in Sweden, is an outspoken critic of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi regime and Egypt's lack of democracy. Shortly before the shooting of The Nile Hilton Incident, he was forced to leave the country immediately and became persona non grata.[7]
Amr Waked, who portrays the government official Dr. Mansour, was also forced to leave the country in 2017 after pro-democracy posts in his social media. He was later sentenced to eight-years in prison for propaganda against the regime.[7] He currently lives in exile in Spain.
The film premise was inspired by Yasser Galal who portrayed al-Sisi in the series El Ekhteyar (The Choice), even though he had no physical resemblance to the president. In 2025, Galal was appointed as a member of Egyptian senate by al-Sisi.[7]
Filming
Principal photography took place in Istanbul, who once again stand for Cairo, after a planned shoot in Casablanca was abruptly canceled.[7] Some b-roll were shot in Cairo by an unidentified crew member in a car,[7] serving as complement for scenes of George Fahmy driving through the city. Production concluded in July 2024.[8] The production received a €500,000 grant from Eurimages during its Project Evaluation Session of 2024.[9]
The film marks Fares Fares fourth collaboration with Saleh.[6]Alexandre Desplat composed the film's soundtrack, marking his first collaboration with Saleh.[8]
Fares and Saleh during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Release
Eagles of the Republic had its world premiere on 19 May 2025 at the main competition of 2025 Cannes Film Festival.[10][11] In May 2024, it was announced that Playtime would handle its international sales.[12] Memento Distribution acquired the film's French distribution and SF Studios is set to distribute it in Nordic countries.[13]
It was theatrically released in France on 12 November 2025, grossing $588k in its opening weekend in 228 theaters. By late December the film had grossed $1.4 million.[18]
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