Close to the Sultan
{{use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| native_name ={{Infobox name module|fr|Dans la chambre du sultan|nolink=yes}}
| director = Javier Rebollo
| screenplay = {{ubl|Javier Rebollo|Luis Bértolo}}
| cinematography = Santiago Racaj
| editing = Marine de Contes
| starring = {{ubl|Félix Moati|Pilar López de Ayala|Ilies Kadri|Jan Budař|Farouk Saïdi}}
| language = {{ubl|French|Arabic|English|Spanish}}
| released = {{Film date|2024|10|07|Cinespaña|2024|11|15|Spain|df=yes}}
| country = {{ubl|France|Spain}}
| studio = {{ubl|Paraíso Production|Sideral|Eddie Saeta|Noodles Productions}}
| distributor = {{Not a typo|Sideral Cinema}} ({{Tooltip|{{Smallcaps|es}}|Spain}})
}}
Close to the Sultan ({{langx|fr|Dans la chambre du sultan|links=no}}; {{langx|es|En la alcoba del sultán|links=no}}) is a 2024 comedy-drama film directed by {{ill|Javier Rebollo|es}} starring Félix Moati, Pilar López de Ayala, Ilies Kadri, Jan Budař, and Farouk Saïdi. It is a French-Spanish co-production.
Plot
The plot follows Lumière Brothers collaborator Gabriel Veyre as he ventures into the land of Nour in 1901 in order to introduce the cinematograph to the sultan.
Cast
{{Cast listing|
- Félix Moati as Gabriel Veyre
- Pilar López de Ayala as Juanita / Jeanne{{Cite web|url=https://revistaatticus.es/2024/10/69-seminci-critica-pelicula-en-la-alcoba-del-sultan-de-javier-rebollo/|website=Revista Atticus|title=69 SEMINCI – Crítica película En la alcoba del sultán de Javier Rebollo|date=23 October 2024}}
- Farouk Saïdi as Abraham
- Ilies Kadri as the Venerable Sultan
- Jan Budař as caïd MacLean
}}
Production
Close to the Sultan is a French-Spanish co-production by Paraíso Production, {{Not a typo|Sideral}}, Eddie Saeta and Noodles Productions and it had the collaboration of CNC, ICAA, ICEC, Eurimages and the backing of Creative Europe MEDIA.{{Cite web|website=Cineuropa|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/447503/|date=11 August 2023|title=Pilar López de Ayala and Javier Rebollo return with Close to the Sultan|first=Alfonso|last=Rivera}}
Release
The film premiered at the Toulouse Spanish Film Festival (Cinespaña) on 7 October 2024.{{Cite journal|journal=Filmhistoria Online|volume=34|issue=1–2|page=515|year=2024|title=62ª edición del Festival Internacional de Cine de Gijón (FICX) del 15 al 23 de noviembre de 2024|doi=10.1344/fh.2024.34.1-2.496-515|url=https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/filmhistoria/article/view/48609/42588|publisher=Universitat de Barcelona|location=Barcelona|first=Sandra|last=Sánchez García|url-access=subscription}} It also made it to the main competition of the 69th Valladolid International Film Festival (for its Spanish premiere).{{Cite web|url=https://www.europapress.es/castilla-y-leon/noticia-rebollo-abraza-fantasia-alcoba-sultan-cine-hay-ser-buena-persona-20241023142704.html|website=Europa Press|date=23 October 2024|title=Rebollo abraza la fantasía en 'La alcoba del sultán': "Para el cine hay que ser buena persona"}} Distributed by {{Not a typo|Sideral Cinema}}, it was released theatrically in Spain on 15 November 2024.
Reception
Elsa Fernández-Santos of El País deemed the film to be "a delicate and stimulating oddity within the Spanish film scene".{{Cite web|first=Elsa|last=Fernández-Santos|website=El País|title=‘En la alcoba del sultán’: una maravillosa rareza sobre la utopía del cine|url=https://elpais.com/cultura/2024-11-15/en-la-alcoba-del-sultan-una-maravillosa-rareza-sobre-la-utopia-del-cine.html|date=15 November 2024}}
Rubén Romero Santos of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, declaring Rebollo's return "a celebration of the joy of storytelling, in any format and in any situation".{{Cite web|website=Cinemanía|via=20minutos.es|date=14 November 2024|url=https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/criticas/critica-alcoba-sultan-una-celebracion-goce-contar-historias-5653238/|first=Rubén|last=Romero Santos|title=Crítica de 'En la alcoba del sultán': una celebración del goce de contar historias}}
Eulàlia Iglesias of Fotogramas rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, singling out the recovery for cinema of López de Ayala as the best thing about the film.{{Cite web|title=Crítica de 'En la alcoba del sultán', Pilar López de Ayala en busca del inicio del cinematógrafo|first=Eulàlia|last=Iglesias|date=15 November 2024|website=Fotogramas|url=https://www.fotogramas.es/peliculas-criticas/a62916946/en-la-alcoba-del-sultan-critica-pelicula/}}
Accolades
{{Awards table|5}}
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| {{center|2025}} || 12th Feroz Awards || colspan = "2" | 'Arrebato' Special Award (Fiction) || {{pending}} || {{center|{{Cite web|url=https://kinotico.es/actualidad/2024-12-12/premios-feroz-anuncian-diez-nominados-finales-para-arrebatos-ficcion-y-no-ficcion|title=Los Premios Feroz anuncian los diez nominados finales para los Arrebatos de Ficción y No Ficción|first=Luis|last=Fernández|website=Kinótico|date=12 December 2024}}}}
|}