A family of grave robbers faces the ultimate heist: their own conscience.
Set in 1881, a year before the start of British colonial rule, it is based on the true story of the Abd el-Rasuls, an Upper-Egyptian clan that had been robbing a cache of mummies they have discovered at tomb DB320 near the village of Kurna, and selling the artifacts on the black market. After a conflict within the clan, one of its members made a crucial decision when the Antiquities Service arrived.
Cinematography
Every frame looks excavated from limestone and guilt.
Direction
Abdel Salam's only feature — devastatingly precise.
Costume
Authentic 19th-century Upper Egyptian dress, researched for years.
Director
Shadi Abdel Salam
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shadi Abdel Salam spent years in European museums studying how Egypt's stolen artifacts were displayed before making his one perfect film.
The title refers to an Egyptian proverb about final judgment; the film itself was nearly lost until a 2009 restoration.
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