Marking its first award on the festival circuit, Ala Eddine Slim's mystery drama AGORA has won the Pardo Verde Jury Award at the 77th Locarno Film Festival, where it world premiered to overwhelming success.
 
The Pardo Verde Award is a prestigious accolade given to films that effectively address ecological issues. Launched in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, this award is presented to the film that best reflects environmental themes and inspires audiences to engage with these critical topics. The award includes a bright-green statuette and a monetary prize of CHF 20,000.
 
This award marks the fifth award for MAD World at the festival after its Lebanon civil war documentary feature GREEN LINE by Sylvie Ballyot won the Mubi Award for Promising Debut Feature and Cinema & Gioventu First Prize and the Palestinian short film UPSHOT by Maha Haj scored the Pardino d’Oro Swiss Life for Best Auteur Short Film and the Junior Jury Award for Best Auteur Short Film.
 
Delving into themes of family and community conflict while also addressing contemporary issues such as economic, social, health, and security challenges, mirroring the complex realities of today’s Tunisia, AGORA is set against the backdrop of a remote town, where people who were previously thought to be missing make a sudden return, causing growing tensions within the families, community, and local police.
 
As a result, local police inspector Fathi, with the help of his doctor friend Amine, tries to understand the enigmatic and bizarre circumstances that led to their initial disappearance and unexpected return. As the investigation deepens, a police inspector from the capital, Omar, arrives to solve the mystery. Will Omar's arrival bring understanding or further complicate matters?
 
Well known for his two films, THE LAST OF US and TLAMESS, in which he used minimal dialogues and atmospheric images, Ala Eddine Slim had this to say about his latest film in his interview with Variety: “It continues some of the themes explored in my other films but with many new aspects. It’s the first time that I use more dialogue, although the film still remains very visual.”
 
Written, directed, edited, and produced by Slim, AGORA features a talented cast, including Neji Kanaweti, who starred in the Berlinale title WHO DO I BELONG TO?; Bilel Slatnia, known for his work in the Tunisian drama DACHRA; Majd Mastoura, who starred in the critically acclaimed HEDI; and Sonia Zarg Ayouna, a rising Tunisian star.
 
The film is a co-production between Tunisia, France, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, with funding from various sources, including the Tunisian National Center for Cinema and Image, AFAC, the Red Sea Fund, and the Franco-Tunisian Co-production Fund.
 
Distributed internationally by MAD World and in the Arab-speaking territories by MAD Distribution, AGORA, marks the second collaboration between MAD Solutions and Slim after TLAMESS, which was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes.
 
Ala Eddine Slim is a free-spirited Tunisian filmmaker who develops a singular universe in each of his films. He is particularly interested in exploring marginalization, wandering, change, and territory.
 
His filmography includes BABYLON, which he co-directed with Youssef and Ismaël Chebbi and won the Grand Prize in the International Competition at FIDMarseille; THE LAST OF US, which won the Lion of the Future Prize at the Venice International Film Festival; and TLAMESS, which won him the Best Director Award at the Marrakech International Film Festival.