Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Cairo Time

  • 2009
  • PG
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
7K
YOUR RATING
Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig in Cairo Time (2009)
A romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people completely off-guard.

Juliette, a fashion magazine editor in her 40s, travels to Cairo to meet her husband, Mark, a UN official working in Gaza, for a three week vacation. When he is unavoidably delayed, he sends his friend Tareq, who had been his security officer for many years, to escort her throughout the beautiful and exotic city. The last thing anyone expects is that they will fall in love.
Play trailer1:56
2 Videos
44 Photos
DramaRomance

A romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people completely off-guard.A romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people completely off-guard.A romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people completely off-guard.

  • Director
    • Ruba Nadda
  • Writer
    • Ruba Nadda
  • Stars
    • Patricia Clarkson
    • Alexander Siddig
    • Elena Anaya
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ruba Nadda
    • Writer
      • Ruba Nadda
    • Stars
      • Patricia Clarkson
      • Alexander Siddig
      • Elena Anaya
    • 69User reviews
    • 88Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos2

    Cairo Time
    Trailer 1:56
    Cairo Time
    Cairo Time
    Clip 2:15
    Cairo Time
    Cairo Time
    Clip 2:15
    Cairo Time

    Photos44

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 36
    View Poster

    Top cast50

    Edit
    Patricia Clarkson
    Patricia Clarkson
    • Juliette Grant
    Alexander Siddig
    Alexander Siddig
    • Tareq Khalifa
    Elena Anaya
    Elena Anaya
    • Kathryn
    Amina Annabi
    • Yasmeen
    Tom McCamus
    Tom McCamus
    • Mark
    Mona Hala
    • Jameelah
    Fadia Nadda
    • Hanan
    Mohamed Abdel Fatah
    • Customs Officer
    • (as Mohammed Abdel Fattah)
    Hossam Abdulla
    • Porter
    Nabil Shazli
    • Manager
    Ahmed Ghareeb
    • Propositioning Man
    Hanafi Mohamoud El Gazar
    • Shoe Shopkeeper
    Roanne Bell
    • Sharon
    Andrew Cullen
    • Jim
    Katie Sherif
    • Petroleum Wife #1
    Michelle Power
    • Petroleum Wife #2
    Sarah Farouk Ahmed
    • Petroleum Wife #3
    Ibrahim Abdullah
    • Mohammed
    • Director
      • Ruba Nadda
    • Writer
      • Ruba Nadda
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews69

    6.66.9K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    10gimmedavidb

    A Truly Beautiful Film!

    Cairo Time is an exquisite feast for the eyes, ears and eventually, the heart. Ruba Nadda takes us on a tour of Cairo which flows so well because it appears complete even down to such minute details such as showing street children selling bobby pins, a wild motorcycle driver nearly hitting the film's heroine, and Egyptian hit songs playing on a taxi's radio. In contrast with the high energy scenes of Cairo's bustling city life are dreamy, beautifully composed shots of the city's classical architecture, the Egyptian pyramids and The White Desert, all which give the impression that they are frozen in time. But, the time in Cairo Time is hardly stagnant. The film's stunning images, rich music and moving love story about a bored workaholic Canadian married woman whose passion for love and life is awoken by her relationship with a Egyptian man interplay so beautifully that the film appears seamless. Patricia Clarkson (Juliette) and Alexander Siddig (Tareq) convincingly play a couple whose professional relationship transforms into a love relationship over time. Both actors show off their fine acting skills by expressing the characters' love for each other through their subtle uses of body language and eye contact. Each views the other as a kind of "forbidden fruit", yet neither one can hide their desire for the other. The quiet intensity of their passion is almost deafening. Cairo Time works because it does so well what many other contemporary films don't do. It takes you to another place and time, one of the main reasons we go to the movies.
    8gradyharp

    A Languid and Lovely Flirtation in Cairo

    Québécois writer and director Ruba Nadda favors stories that deal with love between Muslim and non-Muslim and her latest film CAIRO TIME follows that path - to an extent. According to Nadda she views this film as a 'luscious, serene, languid romance', a story that crosses two unlikely and emotionally unavailable people who approach momentary bliss in the beauty of Cairo. It is a slow film, the type of movie that encourages the viewer to sit back and enjoy an adult romance.

    Juliette Grant (Patricia Clarkson) arrives in Cairo for a vacation with her UN employee husband Mark (Tom McCamus) only to discover that Mark is in Gaza on 'business': she discovers the information from a retired ex-assistant to Mark, Tareq Khalifa (Alexander Siddig), who offers her honest companionship until Mark returns. Tareq now owns a coffee house and spends his days playing chess. Juliette meets Kathryn (Elena Anaya), another associate of Mark, who offers her company, but Juliette prefers to be alone. The magic of Cairo - the smells, the muezzin calls to worship, the street shops, the sunsets - all begin to work on Juliette's lonely mood and she wanders into the city, fends off young men's attentions, and encounters Tareq in his coffee house (a men only club). Tareq offers to show her Cairo, especially the pyramids, but Juliette says she promised Mark to share those with him. A trip down the Nile and walks in the fascinating city draw Juliette and Tareq together, and when the two encounter Yasmeen (Amina Annabi), a friend and ex-lover of Tareq, the two are invited to Yasmeen's daughter's wedding in Alexandria. Telephone calls from and to Mark reveal that Mark will be delayed in Gaza, and after Juliette makes an attempt to travel to Gaza to see Mark and is prevented by the military she returns to Cairo, determined to make the best of her extended stay there. She goes to Alexandria with Tareq, they enjoy the wedding, and when they return to Cairo they mutually decide to visit the pyramids. The magic is there and the longing between them is palpable, but as soon as they return, Mark appears at the hotel. The Cairo time is over and the viewer is left guessing how the emotions generated by the time and place will play out.

    Among the many lovely details of this film are views about the gender barriers in the Middle East and the customs of a city that, while modern, is still a culture of men. As Juliette and Tareq wander the streets of Cairo we recognize subtleties that exist, subtleties that director Nadda never forces. The gorgeous cinematography is by Luc Montpellier and the musical score is by Niall Byrne. This film is more a poem than a story, a welcome change from the usual youngster-oriented love stories and more of a mature episode of ageless flirtation. Grady Harp, August 10
    8rima_z

    Great Feel-Good Movie

    Very well-cast crew. Incredibly perceptive and observant director. Took me back to Cairo. Alexander Siddiq is so cute in this movie. Its good to see a movie that does not follow the typical Hollywood American action crap with a climax and a happy ending.

    This movie in my opinion was not a typical movie with a plot but more like a trip to Cairo. A sweet memorable trip very identical to my trip and experience there last year, minus the lovely Alexander..

    Well done Rubba. Keep them coming... wouldn't mind watching a Granada time or Barcelona time..Beirut time or Istanbul or Kathmandu time...if u can do the same thing with those cities, u'r my hero...
    7noran_1987

    that's not all Cairo

    the movie was really good Um Kalthoum's great songs were amazing background music for the movie and Abdel Halim Hafez's too, the marvelous sites of Egypt and the sound of the Adan (the call for the Muslim prayer) all were fantastic...but as an Egyptian there were some stuff that were not realistic to me.

    First was the accent of Tarek in the movie it wasn't Egyptian at all..

    Second it only showed the crowded messed streets of Cairo and describing Cairo as "such a mess" disappointed me as an Egyptian living in Cairo, it didn't show the neat sites like Maadi, Heliopolis or Zamalek which the hotel supposed to be located at, which I believe must be a five stars hotel being by the Nile yet bizarrely the receptionists were not working at night which was extremely weird and doesn't happen at any place in the world!!!

    Ruba Nadda wanted to convey a specific ancient image of Cairo but this can't be the whole image about Cairo now,, that movie would be realistic but 50 years ago..
    Jawsphobia

    See it with whoever is handy

    Cairo Time could be the solution to the date movie, so subtle and full of empathy it has no time for anything that might embarrass the person you are with and you'll have something to talk about later. I saw it alone for logistical reasons, but from the middle of the second row it was quite emersive. I'm no Cairofile; all I know is that the place has pyramids and a funny word for the water pipes they smoke. Those things are touched upon, but the movie avoids becoming a travelogue. Patricia Clarkson (The Green Mile) arrives for a vacation with her United Nations honcho husband Mark only to find he isn't there. He'll be busy in Gaza for a while (which is never played for a joke although we get the idea that settling things in Gaza could take a while). Alexander Siddig (Dr. Bashir from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) a former co-worker of Mark meets her instead and acts as a guide where he can. He would show her the pyramids right away, but she has promised her husband to see them for the first time with him. We might be able to guess where this is heading, but the surprise is that scenes that might not read as 2009 ADD generation content is actually loaded and engaging. We are waiting for tea to steep and not getting bored. Clarkson takes on more of a glow as the movie goes on, but in the early scenes it is her character Juliette's vulnerability that has our focus. A bunch of random flirtations from guys on the street might be a minor irritant in the USA or Toronto's Annex neighbourhood, but here there is a growing sense of jeopardy which reinforces the bubble of trust Siddig's character creates. For another character to burst that bubble by violating the camera frame with a sudden lunge from the teaming masses would be a shame, an intrusion of reality. And yet the film is very realistic as to the unexpressed aspect of life that can turn a bland setting into a postcard perfect image depending who you are with. The director Ruba Nadda spoke after the Varsity cinema screening I attended and it is remarkable that amid the strategies needed to pull off this movie she managed to maintain such a subtle focus. It is nice that also Christine Vachon's brand is there as a producer to suggest how subtlety in a movie might even be considered quirky. But it definitely has the patience and quiet faith in detail that mark Ruba Nadda's previous movie Sabah. I would love to read a diary publication about the making of Cairo Time. From content to execution it is apparently a film only Ruba could have made - it has both ethnic trappings with gravitas and an accessible romantic, dramatic structure of entertainment.

    More like this

    The Seventh Sense
    6.5
    The Seventh Sense
    Learning to Drive
    6.4
    Learning to Drive
    The Wife of an Important Man
    7.9
    The Wife of an Important Man
    Cairo Time
    6.1
    Cairo Time
    Hemingway & Gellhorn
    6.3
    Hemingway & Gellhorn
    An Educational Film
    7.3
    An Educational Film
    Being Julia
    7.0
    Being Julia
    The Last Station
    6.9
    The Last Station
    Fool el seen el azeem
    6.4
    Fool el seen el azeem
    When a Man Loves a Woman
    6.6
    When a Man Loves a Woman
    From the Land of the Moon
    6.6
    From the Land of the Moon
    The Purple Rose of Cairo
    7.6
    The Purple Rose of Cairo

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although playing an Egyptian, Alexander Siddig hails from Sudan (although his mother is English).
    • Goofs
      The position of the women during the wedding sequence changes constantly.
    • Quotes

      Juliette Grant: I always wanted to be a singer.

      Tareq Khalifa: What stopped you?

      Juliette Grant: My voice.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Despicable Me/The Kids Are All Right (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Let's Go
      Performed by Catlow

      Written by Natasha Thirsk and Brian Carson(SOCAN/ASCAP)

      Published by Dirtmitts Publishing

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ19

    • How long is Cairo Time?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 16, 2009 (Canada)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • Ireland
      • Egypt
    • Languages
      • English
      • Arabic
    • Also known as
      • 開羅假期
    • Filming locations
      • Shepheard Hotel, Cairo, Egypt
    • Production companies
      • Foundry Films
      • Samson Films
      • Astral Media
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,603,616
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $66,245
      • Aug 8, 2010
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,477,315
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig in Cairo Time (2009)
    Top Gap
    What is the Spanish language plot outline for Cairo Time (2009)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.