by Alex Billington
May 25, 2026
Source: YouTube
“Let the star through!” Screen Daily has revealed the first official trailer for an African movie called Congo Boy, made by Congolese filmmaker Rafiki Fariala as his first narrative feature. It’s one of the few African films playing at this year’s 2026 Cannes Film Festival, which just wrapped up in France last week. The film is set in Bangui, in Central African Republic (aka CAR), which neighbors the Democratic Republic of Congo (aka DRC) plagued by an ongoing civil war. 17 year-old youngster Robert dreams of a career in music as a famous rapper, but war is tearing his country apart. When both of his parents are thrown into prison, he is left to look after his four younger siblings on his own, juggling daily life, odd jobs, school exams and concert stages, determined to follow his dream to become a successful musician no matter what. Starring Bradley Fioma Dembeasset as Robert, along with Christy Djomanda Louba, Pétruche Mbomba, Rosiana Kotozia, Gloria Ambacko, Dieufera Sana. Reviews are good so far. This one says it “succeeds because of Fariala’s emotional clarity, avoiding many pitfalls of the familiar rise-to-fame musical story.” Have a look.
Here’s the festival promo trailer (+ poster) for Rafiki Fariala’s film Congo Boy, direct from YouTube:
Set in Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, this coming-of-age story follows Robert (Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset), a 17-year-old Congolese whose family is displaced by civil war in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. With both his parents in prison for falsifying their passports, he struggles to balance caring for his younger siblings, keeping up with school, and pursuing a budding musical career as a rap artist. Congo Boy is directed by Congolese filmmaker Rafiki Fariala, making his first narrative feature after directing the doc Nous, étudiants! and a few other shorts previously. The screenplay is written by Rafiki Fariala, Tommy Baron, & Boris Lojkine. It’s produced by Vicky Nelson Wackoro, Dieudo Hamadi, Caroline Nataf. This recently premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival playing in the Un Certain Regard section this May. No release dates are set yet – stay tuned for more updates. Anyone interested in watching?
