Released 14 APRIL
o the extent that it’s even possible for a film about Islamic extremism and corruption within the Muslim faith to play it safe, Tarik Saleh errs. The stilled cinematography favouring pensive, long takes brings a dignified air to what could’ve been a sordid potboiler plot, rich in intrigue and deception appropriate for a film revolving around what happens behind closed doors. That’s exactly how a private board of elders elects a new Grand Imam, the highest authority in the Sunni sect, at the world-leading al-Azhar University in Cairo. On one end of an ideological spectrum, there’s Sheikh Durani (Ramzi Choukair), a hardline conservative who may be mentoring a small cell of student terrorists-to-be. On the other, there’s an ageing, blind Sheikh (Makram Khoury), the horse backed by shadowy state apparatuses hoping to get a foothold in the insular religious sphere.
