‘Cairo Conspiracy’s’ Tawfeek Barhom to Star in Les Valseurs’ ‘Borderline’ by Oscar-Nominated Yves Piat (Exclusive)
Palestinian actor Tawfeek Barhom, best known for Tarik Saleh’s Cannes winner “Cairo Conspiracy” in 2022 and Palme d’Or winner 2025 for his short film “I’m Glad You’re Dead Now,” is set to headline the French pic “Borderline” by first-timer Yves Piat.
A very loose feature-length version of Piat’s Oscar-nominated live action short “Nefta Football Club,” “Borderline” (Sur la ligne”) reunites Piat with producer Damien Megherbi, co-founder of French outfit Les Valseurs with Justin Pechberty.
Joining the cast are Samir Guesmi and Lyes Salem.
In the Arabic-speaking pic, Barhom stars as Hichem, a customs officer on the Algerian-Tunisian border, who tries to provide a decent life for his wife Leila and little daughter Zineb. Caught up in a corrupt system, his integrity is put to test when he meets Tesla, a music-loving donkey lost in the desert with headphones over his ears and bags full of cocaine on his back.
