The Protagonists is a 1999 Italian crime thriller film written and directed by Luca Guadagnino in his directorial debut.

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.

Production on the film began in 1998, with principal photography taking place in London.

[1][2] The Protagonists had its world premiere at the 56th Venice International Film Festival on 8 September 1999.

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