Tarik Saleh

Tarik Saleh (born 28 January 1972) is a Swedish‑Egyptian creative whose career spans graffiti, television, animation and internationally acclaimed filmmaking. Born in Stockholm to a Swedish mother and an Egyptian father, Saleh grew up immersed in a multicultural environment that later informed his visually striking storytelling. In the late 1980s and early 1990s he emerged as one of Sweden’s most visible graffiti artists, co‑founding the influential collective Fascinate and helping to legitimize street art within the country’s contemporary culture. Transitioning to broadcast media, he became a television host for Sveriges Television and co‑founded the production company Atmo, where he honed his skills as a producer, publisher and journalist. These early experiences laid a foundation for his distinctive visual language, characterized by bold color palettes, kinetic camera movements and a persistent interest in political and social themes. Saleh’s first feature film, the English‑language animated thriller Metropia (2009), premiered at the 66th Venice International Film Festival and announced his arrival on the global stage. He achieved breakthrough success with the Cairo‑trilogy, beginning with The Nile Hilton Incident (2017), which earned the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and won Best Film at the 53rd Guldbagge Awards. The follow‑up Boy from Heaven (2022) premiered in competition at Cannes, secured the Best Screenplay award and the François Chalais Prize, and was selected as Sweden’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. His latest installment, Eagles of the Republic (2025), competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, underscoring his reputation as a director capable of blending gritty realism with stylistic flair. In parallel, Saleh expanded into Hollywood with The Contractor (2022), starring Chris Pine, demonstrating versatility across genres and distribution models. Beyond feature films, he has contributed to acclaimed series such as Westworld and Ray Donovan, and directed music videos for Lykke Li, further showcasing his adaptability and artistic range.