14/03/2008

Principal photography begins next Monday on Agora, the highly anticipated new film by Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar, who returns behind the camera with a historical epic four years after the Oscar-winning The Sea Inside [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

For the next 15 weeks, the island of Malta will turn into 4th century AD Egypt to tell the story of Hypatia of Alexandria, the Western world’s first female astronomer and philosopher. Set against a background of religious rebellion, Agora will show Hypatia trapped inside the Library of Alexandria, fighting to save the collected wisdom of the ancient world.

After The Others (2001), Agora will be Aménabar’s second English-language feature, starring British Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardner [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) alongside Max Minghella (Art School Confidential), Oscar Isaac (The Nativity), Ashraf Barhom (The Kingdom), Michael Lonsdale (Munich), Rupert Evans (Hellboy) and Homayoun Ershadi (The Kite Runner).

Amenábar, co-writer Mateo Gil and producer Fernando Bovaira spent the past three years researching history and astronomy until they decided to really bring back to life ancient Alexandria. "We want the audience to see, feel and smell a remote civilization as if it were as real as the present day. I feel greatly privileged and thankful to be taking this journey with Rachel Weisz," said Amenábar.

According to Weisz, the director has written "a passionate tale about one woman's relentless pursuit for the truth. It gets to the heart of the ugliness and the beauty of what it is to be human. We are about to start on what I think will be an incredible adventure.”

Spain's Telecinco Cinema is the majority producer of Agora, along with Mod Producciones and the Almenábar's company Himenoptero.