Pan-Arab distributor Mad Solutions has picked up international rights to Tunisian auteur Ala Eddine Slim ’s mystery drama “Agora” ahead of its world premiere in competition at the Locarno Film Festival . The film revolves around three missing people who suddenly return to a remote town in Tunisia, prompting tensions within their families and community. A local police inspector named Fathi tries to unravel the mystery of their initial disappearance and unexpected return with the help of her friend Amine.
Then, a second inspector arrives from the capital. The somewhat supernatural film’s events unfold as if they were taking place in the dreams of two animals – a blue dog and a black crow – as the director has put it in an interview with Variety. Slim’s two previous works, both featuring minimal dialogue and atmospheric images, garnered significant critical acclaim: “The Last of Us” (2016) won the Lion of the Future Prize at Venice.
“Tlamess” (2019) was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. “Tlamess” was subsequently released by Mad Solution’s Mad Distribution unit across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. “Agora” will also be distributed theatrically throughout the Arab world via Mad Distribution, while Mad World – the company’s recently established international sales arm – will be handling sales to distributors in the rest of the world.
The “Agora” cast comprises Neji Kanaweti (“Who Do I Belong To”); Bilel Slatnia (“Dachra”); Majd Mastoura (“Hedi”) and emerging Tunisian talent Sonia Zarg Ayouna. A coproduction between French producer Julie Viez’s Cinenovo and Slim’s Exit Productions, the film received funding from various entities including the Tunisian National Center for Cinema and Image, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund, and Qatar’s Doha Film Institute. Mad Solutions’s two co-founders, Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab said in a statement they were “excited to bring to the international market a very promising investigative drama that promises to be engaging to the last minute.
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