Congo Boy, a joint production between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, made its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard competition of the Cannes Film Festival, where lead actor Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset received the best actor award in the category. The film screened on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at the Locarno Film Festival’s outdoor venue, the Piazza Grande, as part of the festival’s 79th edition.
The drama centers on a 17-year-old Congolese refugee named Robert living in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. After his parents are imprisoned, Robert assumes responsibility for his four younger siblings while pursuing his ambitions as a musician. Director Rafiki Fariala drew heavily from his own experience as a refugee for the screenplay, which he developed alongside Tommy Baron and Boris Lojkine. The cast includes Christy Djomanda Louba, Pétruche Mbomba, Rosiana Kotozia, Gloria Ambacko and Dieufera Sana, with cinematography by Adrien Lallau and editing by César Simonot.
Fariala’s family fled the Congo due to conflict and subsequently faced similar dangers in the Central African Republic, eventually seeking stability through exile in France after facing detention related to documentation issues. The director emphasized that his experience reflects broader patterns of displacement within Africa, noting that many refugees remain within the continent rather than traveling to Europe. Following censorship of his 2022 documentary We, Students! in the Central African Republic, Fariala relocated to France as a refugee himself.
The filmmaker employed street casting to assemble his predominantly non-professional cast, recruiting a French casting director to assist in finding performers who could authentically embody the characters and their lived experiences. Fariala indicated that several cast members, including soldiers and his own aunt, portrayed roles aligned with their real circumstances. The director plans to continue blending documentary and fiction elements in future projects, including a documentary titled To Live that explores his personal experiences following his exile, and a potential sequel to Congo Boy examining the protagonist’s life after achieving musical success.
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