The Protagonists (1999 film)

The Protagonists is a 1999 Italian crime thriller film written and directed by Luca Guadagnino in his directorial debut. It stars Tilda Swinton and Fabrizia Sacchi.

The Protagonists
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Luca Guadagnino
Written by	Luca Guadagnino
Produced by	Fulvio Colombo Massimo Vigliar
Starring	Tilda Swinton Fabrizia Sacchi
Cinematography	Paolo Bravi
Edited by	Walter Fasano
Music by	Andrea Guerra
Production companies	Surf Film Medusa Film Tele+
Distributed by	Medusa Distribuzione
Release dates	8 September 1999 (1999-09-08) (Venice) 10 September 1999 (1999-09-10) (Italy)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	Italy
Languages	English Italian

The film had its world premiere at the 56th Venice International Film Festival on 8 September 1999. It was released in Italy on 10 September 1999 by Medusa Distribuzione.

Premise

The film chronicles an Italian film crew who are in London making a reconstruction of the real-life killing of Egyptian chef Mohamed El-Sayed by the two 19-year-olds Jamie Petrolini and Richard Elsey in 1994.

Cast

• Tilda Swinton as Actress
• Fabrizia Sacchi as herself
• Andrew Tiernan as Mohammed
• Claudio Gioè as Happy
• Paolo Briguglia as Billy
• Michelle Hunziker as Sue
• Jhelisa as herself
• Laura Betti as Judge

Production

Production on the film began in 1998, with principal photography taking place in London.^[1][2]

Release

The Protagonists had its world premiere at the 56th Venice International Film Festival on 8 September 1999.^[3][4] The film was released in Italy on 10 September 1999 by Medusa Distribuzione.^[5]

It was released in the United Kingdom on DVD on 13 October 2014 by Argent Films.^[6]

Critical reception

The film received negative reviews from critics.^[7]