The Last Queen

With ambitious battle scenes and epic drama The Last Queen is a unique, feminist period piece from 16th century Algeria, depicting queen Zaphira and her fight to keep her throne.

Algeria, the year 1516. King Salim Toumi defeats the Spanish conquistadors with help from the pirate and mercenary Aroudj Barbarossa and his men but dies under mysterious circumstances just after the dust has settled. Rumor has it that Barbarossa murdered the king and is now aiming for the throne. Against all odds, Queen Zaphira stands up to him and fights for her right to her throne. A pulsating portrait of a complex and fascinating heroine who refuses to follow the path laid out for her. With epic battle scenes and Shakespearian intrigue and drama, the film portrays a period in Algeria’s history never before explored in cinema. The film had its premiere at the prestigious film festival in Venice.

«A gorgeous costume drama with a feisty feminist edge» – Variety

In connection with the screening of The Last Queen on Sunday 19th of March at 18:00 there will be a reception where we serve some Algerian appetisers at 17:30. This is done in partnership with the Algerian Embassy in Oslo.

Director

Damien Ounouri is an Algerian director and screenwriter. He studied film theory at the Sorbonne in Paris. His documentary Fidaï (2012) had its premiere at the film festival in Toronto, and his mid-length fiction Kindil el Bahr (2016) premiered at the festival in Cannes. The Last Queen, his feature length fiction debut, premiered at the film festival in Venice in 2022.

This film is part of