The Last Queen (film)

The Last Queen (الملكة الأخيرة) is a 2022 historical drama film co-directed by Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri. It was primarily funded by Algeria, but also received support from France and Taiwan.

Plot
In 1516, the corsair Aroudj Barbarossa liberates the city of Algiers from the power of the Spanish, thereby taking control of the kingdom. However, he had allied himself with King Salim Toumi, who dies under unexplained circumstances. Gradually, rumors spread that it was Barbarossa himself who may have assassinated the king. The wife of the late king, Queen Zaphira, decides to confront him and stand up against him.

Cast
Source:
 * Adila Bendimerad: Zaphira, the Last Queen
 * Dali Benssalah: Aroudj Barberousse
 * Mohamed Tahar Zaoui: King Salim Toumi
 * Imen Noel: Queen Chegga
 * Nadia Tereszkiewicz: Astrid, the Scandinavian
 * Yanis Aouine: Prince Yahia, son of Queen Zaphira and King Salim Toumi
 * Leila Touchi: Yakout, the lady-in-waiting
 * Ahmed Zitouni: Bosnian Corsair, right-hand man of Aroudj
 * Dimitri Boetto: Ishak Barberousse
 * Tarik Bouarrara: Younès, chief of Zaphira's royal guard.

Genesis
The idea for the film originated in Damien Ounouri's mind after reading a book about the history of Algeria, which notably spoke about Queen Zaphira. Adila Bendimerad mentioned it to him in 2014. Discovering that throughout the centuries, her story, her legend, and even her existence were alternately challenged and supported, the director wanted to delve into this "knot" as a way to bring up the question of the erasure of women in history. For Adila Bendimerad, the subject was even more significant as the figure of Zaphira is not what one would call a consensual figure, as she is sometimes questioned, but that is what makes her more human.

Filming
The film was entirely shot in Algeria, in Algiers and Tlemcen at the El Mechouar Palace, as well as in other locations. Director Damien Ounouri explains the difficulty of shooting in natural settings and contemporary places related to the film's subject. Therefore, together with the director, they chose not to shoot the feature film "in a studio but to salvage bits and pieces of what we have and create a puzzle of sets"