Tarik Saleh’s politically charged thriller “Eagles of the Republic,” Sweden’s official Oscar submission for the international feature race, is leading the Guldbagge Awards with 11 nominations.

“Eagles of the Republic” completes Saleh’s co-called Cairo Trilogy exploring the machinery of authoritarian regimes, following “Boy From Heaven” and “The Nile Hilton Incident.” The movie is vying for best film, director, actor in a leading role for Fares Fares and screenplay, as well as craft mentions such as cinematography, sound design, original score and visual effects. The Guldbagge Awards are considered Sweden’s top film honors.

Laced with dark humor, “Eagles of the Republic” reunites Saleh with Fares Fares, who plays George Fahmy, Egypt’s most celebrated movie star who becomes ensnared in a dangerously corrupt world after being forced by the country’s highest authorities to star in a government-backed prestige film. The film world premiered in competition at Cannes and was recently acquired by Cohen Media Group for U.S. distribution. The cast is completed by Lyna Khoudri, Zineb Triki, Amr Waked and Cherien Dabis. Saleh previously won Cannes’ best screenplay award with “Boy From Heaven,” and won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize with “The Nile Hilton Incident” in 2017.

Following closely are Andreas Öhman’s heartfelt dramedy “7 Steps” and Jon Blåhed’s psychological drama “Raptures” which garnered eight nominations each. Maria Eriksson-Hecht’s coming-of-age thriller “Kevlar Soul,” meanwhile, clinched seven noms.

Guldbagge Award nominees on site at the Film House. Photo: Pedro Ossowicki / Swedish Film Institute

Other notable titles include Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja’s genre-bending “Egghead Republic,” which earned five nominations, and Fanny Ovesen’s “Live a Little,” which landed four, notably in best film, best director and both lead acting categories.

The ceremony, which is organized by the Swedish Film Institute in partnership with national broadcaster SVT, will take place Jan. 19 at Cirkus in Stockholm.