CONGO BOY

West Coast Premiere | Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Italy | 2026 | Drama | 91 min | In Sango, French, Lingala and Swahili with English subtitles

Directed by: Rafiki Fariala
Written by: Rafiki Fariala, Tommy Baron, Boris Lojkine
Produced by: Boris Lojkine, Elvis Sabin Ngaïbino & Danièle Incalcaterra (Makongo Films), Caroline Nataf (Unité), Dieudo Hamadi (Kiripifilms), Marco Bechis (Karta Film)
Cinematography: Adrien Lallau
Original Score: Rafiki Fariala, Lillo Morreale
Film Editing: César Simonot, Xavier Sirven
Cast: Bradley Fiomona (Robert), Pétruche Mbomba (Daniel), Christy Djomanda Louba (Espérance), Dieufera Sana (César), Gloria Ambacko (Jacqueline), Rosiana Kotozia (Aurélie)
International Sales: The Party Film Sales
US Distributor: Outsider Pictures
US Release Date: TBA

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Congolese refugee Robert has a lot on his plate. With his parents in prison as illegal immigrants, he does his best to conceal his identity. Juggling countless menial jobs and constantly skipping school, he struggles to eke out a living and feed his four younger siblings. But his dream is to make music. Based on the director’s personal experience, Congo Boy juxtaposes the harsh day-to-day existence of a refugee trying to survive in a war-torn country and the resilience and ultimate optimism of a young man who simply wants to keep his family safe and express himself in vibrant, heartfelt song.

Director’s bio

Much like his Congo Boy protagonist, director Rafiki Fariala is a Congolese refugee in the Central African Republic (CAR), who fled the Civil War with his parents as an infant. The CAR has no movie theaters, no film schools, no film industry whatsoever. Yet, Fariala attended documentary filmmaking classes at the French NGO Ateliers Varan, in Bangui, which allowed him to make his first short, Mbi Na Mo (2018). His first documentary feature, We, Students! (2022) was screened in Berlin, Namur, Valadivia and Reykjavik Film Festivals, and won the Golden Coconut for Best Documentary at the Hainan International Film Festival. Congo Boy, his first narrative feature, was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where the film’s lead nonprofessional actor, Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset, nabbed the Best Actor prize.