Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo

Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo (Arabic: البحث عن منفذ لخروج السيد رامبو, romanized: Al Bahs an Manfaz i Khoroug al Sayed Rambo) is a 2024 drama film co-written and directed by Khaled Mansour, in his directorial debut. A co-production between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the film premiered at the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival.

Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo
Directed by	Khaled Mansour
Written by	Khaled Mansour Mohamed El-Hosseiny
Produced by	Mohamed Hefzy Rasha Hosny
Starring	Essam Omar Rakeen Saad
Cinematography	Ahmed Tarek Bayoumi
Edited by	Yasser Azmy
Release date	September 4, 2024 (2024-9-4) (Venice)
Language	Arabic

Plot

Cast

• Essam Omar as Hassan
• Rakeen Saad as Asmaa
• Ahmed Bahaa as Karem
• Samma Ibrahim as Hassan's Mother

Production

The film was produced by Film Clinic.^[1] It marked the feature film debut of Mansour, following three short films he directed between 2015 and 2022.^[1]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in the Orizzonti Extra sidebar.^[1][2] It was released in Egyptian cinemas on 1st January 2025.^[3]

Reception

The film was awarded the grand prize at the 2024 Red Sea International Film Festival.^[4]

Screen International's film critic Wendy Ide praised the film, describing it as "a quality picture that announces Mansour as a notable talent in Egyptian independent filmmaking", and wrote that "the theme [...] is hardly a new one. Still, this feature [...] impresses, bringing a distinctively gritty flavour to its vision of lives on the fringes of working class Cairo".^[5] Ali Benzekri from International Cinephile Society praised Mansour's "deliberate sobriety that grounds the film in an extreme realism" as well as Essam Omar's performance, that "places him firmly in the conversation about the future of Egyptian cinema, particularly for up-and-coming actors. His ability to convey profound emotional depth without relying heavily on dialogue speaks volumes about his range and presence on screen".^[6]