In competition

AGON

Directed by Giulio Bertelli
Italy, United States, France 2025
Runtime 100'

As the fictional Olympic Games of Ludoj 2024 approaches, AGON shows the stories of three athletes as they prepare and then compete in rifle shooting, fencing and judo. These women are portrayed against the political, social, technological and physical contexts that dominate the highest level of sports competition and performance. Informed by the historical figures of Joan of Arc, Cleopatra and Russian cavalry officer Nadezhda Durova, AGON explores a contemporary account of the contradictions of these sports, which began as a practice for wartime in peacetime, evolved into professional sports and entertainment, and in recent times embrace video games to create a new form of competitive sport.

Directed by
Giulio Bertelli

Screenplay
Giulio Bertelli

Cinematography
Mauro Chiarello

Editing
Tommaso Gallone, Francesco Roma, Giulio Bertelli

Music Department
Tom Wheatley

Music Supervisor
Randall Poster

Sound
Massimo Mariani, Tommaso Barbaro

Production Design
Ludovica Ferrario

Costume Design
Marco Alzari

Visual Effects Supervisor
Stefano Leoni

Titles and Graphic Design
Michael Rock

Cast
Yile Vianello, Alice Bellandi, Sofjia Zobina

Production
Giulio Bertelli, Max Brun (Art+Vibes), Jules Daly and Joe Anton (Big Red Films), Stella Rossa Savino (MIA FILM)

International Sales
The Match Factory

Italian Distribution
MUBI

40SIC Giulio Bertelli

Giulio Bertelli (1990) was born in Milan. He studied architecture at the Architectural Association (AA). Since 2012, he has been a professional offshore sailor, involved in the technical side of performance sailboat development. As a visiting lecturer at the AA, Giulio focuses on the relationship between filmmaking, architectural design and scriptwriting. He’s the founder of OKOMdsu, a research and design studio, and most recently launched Akta, a freeze-dried food company.