Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for The Last Queen, the debut fiction feature of filmmakers Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri, which has its world premiere in Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori sidebar.
Written by Bendimerad and Ounouri, The Last Queen is set in 1516 when a pirate frees Algiers from Spanish tyranny, but then seizes power amid rumours he murdered the King. Against all odds, the Queen Zaphira stands up to him.
Bendimerad also stars in the film, alongside Dali Benssalah – who also stars in Romain Gavras Venice Competition title ‘Athena’.
The film is one of the first costume dramas to emerge from Algeria.
It has all the ingredients of a typical historical epic: a glamorous queen, two warrior suitors and a tragic end. But as film critic Ben Croll explains, “The Last Queen” is a revolution for Algerian cinema. It’s the country’s first-ever costume drama, and directors Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri spent over a decade finding funding for their project celebrating a pre-colonial Algeria.
