It Must Be Heaven

{{Infobox film

| name = It Must Be Heaven

| image = It Must Be Heaven.jpg

| caption = Cannes release poster

| producer = Édouard Weil
Laurine Pelassy
Elia Suleiman
Zeynep Özbatur Atakan
Martin Hampel
Thanassis Karathanos
Michel Merkt
Serge Noël

| writer = Elia Suleiman

| starring = Elia Suleiman

| narrator = Elia Suleiman

| cinematography = Sofian El Fani

| editing = Véronique Lange

| studio = Rectangle Productions
Pallas Film
Nazira Films
Possibles Media
Zeynofilm

| distributor = Le Pacte

| released = {{film date|2019|5|24|Cannes|df=yes}}

| runtime = 97 minutes

| country = France
Germany
Canada
Qatar
Palestine
Turkey

| language = Arabic
French
English
Spanish
Hebrew

}}

It Must Be Heaven ({{Langx|ar|إن شئت كما في السماء|ʾin šiʾtu kamā fīs-samāʾ|If you wish, as in heaven}})https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/112325/Cairo-Film-Society-Festival-announces-its-jury-members is a 2019 internationally co-produced comedy-drama film directed, written and starred by Elia Suleiman.{{cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/film/371072/ |title=It Must Be Heaven |work=Cineuropa |access-date=24 April 2019}} It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/18/cannes-festival-2019-full-list-of-films |title=Cannes festival 2019: full list of films |work=The Guardian |access-date=18 April 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/press/press-articles/communique/articles/the-screenings-guide-2019|title=The Screenings Guide 2019|date=9 May 2019|access-date=9 May 2019}}

It was selected as the Palestinian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.{{cite web|url=https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/oscars-2020-filmmaker-elia-suleiman-to-represent-palestine-in-best-foreign-language-film-submission-1.900959|title=Oscars 2020: Filmmaker Elia Suleiman to represent Palestine in Best Foreign Language Film submission|last=Day|first=Emma|work=The National|date=21 August 2019|access-date=21 August 2019}}

Plot

A Palestinian man travels abroad. He encounters strange and familiar scenes.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Elia Suleiman as himself
Ali Suliman as Brother 1 in Restaurant
François Girard as Policeman
Gael García Bernal as himself
Nancy Grant as Producer
Guy Sprung as Professor
Kwasi Songui as Taxi driver
Stephen McHattie as Fortune teller
Raïa Haïdar as Femen
Alain Dahan as Immigration officer
Vincent Maraval as Producer
Grégoire Colin as Man in subway

}}

Reception

{{RT data|as of|y|m}}, the film holds a {{RT data|score}} approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critics consensus reads: "An entrancing blend of the poignant and the absurd, It Must Be Heaven finds writer-director Elia Suleiman returning to action in peak form."{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_must_be_heaven|title=It Must Be Heaven (2019)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=dmy}}}} On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 69 out of 100, based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable".{{cite web |title=It Must Be Heaven |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/it-must-be-heaven |work=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=21 November 2019}}

Awards

At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, It Must Be Heaven received the Special Mention from the Main Competition Jury,{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/cannes-film-festival-2019-winners-1203225973/ |title=Bong Joon-ho's Parasite Wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes |work=Variety |date=25 May 2019 |access-date=26 May 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/25/bong-joon-hos-parasite-wins-palme-dor-at-cannes-film-festival |title=Bong Joon-ho's Parasite wins Palme d'Or at Cannes film festival |work=The Guardian |date=25 May 2019 |access-date=26 May 2019 |last1=Pulver |first1=Andrew }} and the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film In Competition.{{cite web |title=Cannes: 'It Must Be Heaven' Takes FIPRESCI Critics' Prize |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-it-be-heaven-takes-fipresci-critics-prize-1213726 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=25 May 2019 |access-date=25 May 2019}}

At the 2019 Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF), the film was awarded 4,000 € in broadcasting rights in Belgium.{{cite web | title=Awards 2019 | website=BRIFF | date=30 June 2019 | url=https://briff.be/en/awards-2019/ | access-date=8 May 2021}}