Egypt police shut down screening of banned thriller about police corruption

Egyptian police have raided a tiny alternative film venue in Cairo to prevent the screening of a thriller critical of police that has been banned in the country.

A staff member says Wednesday that the officers came last week and prevented “The Nile Hilton Incident” from being played in an informal, 25-seat room because it was a downloaded copy that did not have proper government permission to be shown.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity and requested that the venue’s name be withheld for fear of repercussions.

The film, by Swedish-Egyptian director Tarik Saleh, is a murder mystery set in Egypt that addresses abuse of power and police corruption. It has won several accolades abroad, including the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.