'' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen '' is a 2011 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Ewan McGregor , Emily Blunt , Kristin Scott Thomas and Amr Waked . Based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Paul Torday , and a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy , the film is about a fisheries expert who is recruited by a consultant to help realize a sheikh 's vision of bringing the sport of fly fishing to the Yemen desert , initiating an upstream journey of faith to make the impossible possible . The film was shot on location in London , Scotland , and Morocco from August to October 2010 . The film premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival . The film received generally positive reviews upon its release , and earned $ 34,564,651 in revenue worldwide
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen