Roman Egypt, 4th century AD. Religious passions erupt in violence on the streets, reaching the steps of the legendary Library of Alexandria. Trapped inside, the brilliant astronomer Hypatia (Weisz) fights to save the collected wisdom of the Ancient World, unaware that her young slave, Davus (Minghella), is torn between his secret love for her and the freedom he could attain by joining the rising tide of Christianity.
AGORA is director Amenábar’s second English-language feature after the global box office hit, The Others. Oscar-winner Amenábar co-wrote the screenplay with his frequent collaborator, Mateo Gil, and the film is produced by Amenábar’s longtime producer Fernando Bovaira.
“For the past three years, Fernando Bovaira, Mateo Gil and I have had our noses in history and astronomy books and we ended up in thrall to Egypt around 1600 years ago”, explains director and co-writer Alejandro Amenábar. “It’s amazing to think that this legendary world of wonders –the Canopian Way and the Lighthouse and Library of Alexandria –should be condemned to oblivion, not least by filmmakers. Our entire team is devoted to bringing Ancient Alexandria back to life through a hyperrealistic approach. 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. We are already profoundly impressed by her immense talent, her intelligence and her humanity.
Rachel Weisz says: “I am tremendously excited about working with Alejandro. He has written an epic, passionate tale about one woman’s relentless pursuit of 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.”
Fernando Bovaira comments: “With his fifth film, Alejandro is once again tackling a new genre. This time, his canvas is spectacular –epic in scale- but thematically, he stays true to his usual concerns. No matter how many centuries have passed since the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, the story that AGORA tells is totally relevant today.”