Red Sea Fund-Backed Film ‘Agora’ wins at Locarno Film Festival

Tunisian filmmaker Ala Eddine Slim’s third feature film, ‘Agora’, won the Pardo Verde Award at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival, where it had its world premiere. The film was supported by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Foundation’s Red Sea Fund, established in 2021 to nurture cinematic talent in the Arab world.

The Locarno Festival’s Pardo Verde Award, also known as the Green Award, is given to a film with an environmental theme that does not shy from provoking its audience.

‘Agora’ explores a mysterious phenomenon in a remote Tunisian town where people who had been missing for years suddenly return. These returnees stir tensions among families and the wider community. The situation becomes increasingly strange and complex, particularly with the arrival of Omar, a police inspector from the capital, who attempts to unravel the mystery.

Slim’s two previous works also gained international attention, with his 2016 feature ‘The Last of Us’ winning the Lion of the Future Prize at Venice and ‘Tlamess’ (2019) being selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.

The film features a largely Tunisian cast, including actors Neji Kanaweit, Bilel Slatnia, Majd Mastoura, and emerging talent Sonia Zarg Ayouna.