A New Breed Of Film to Act As Inspiration to Regional Filmmakers

“The movie tells the story of a real superhero, an African slave who was brought to Arabia 1,000 years ago and fought for his freedom,” the actor said earlier in the year. “He became an inspiration to generations and we’re retelling his story 1,000 years later.”

The story is based on the true story of Bilal Ibn Rabah, a freed slave of Ethiopian origin who converted to Islam and became a trusted companion of the Prophet Muhammad after he gained his freedom

The film’s short synopsis reads: A thousand years ago, one boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior is abducted with his sister and taken to a land far away from home. Thrown into a world where greed and injustice rule all, Bilal finds the courage to raise his voice and make a change. Inspired by true events, this is a story of a real hero who earned his remembrance in time and history.

Last summer, in a very informative profile of the project in Abu Dhabi-based arts and culture magazine, The National, we learned further that a team of about 250 animation professionals (including some who have worked on movies such as “Shrek,” “Life of Pi,” “Star Wars” and “The Avengers”) were working on the project.

“My inspiration was my kid, and myself,” said Ayman Jamal, the screenwriter, founder and managing partner of Barajoun Entertainment. “When I watched movies like ‘Braveheart’ or ‘Malcolm X’ when I was in my late 20s and early 30s, I was inspired. Why wasn’t I inspired when I was 10, I asked myself? I asked my 5-year-old son what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said: ‘Superman’. I love Superman, but I wish he’d said something possible, and I wanted to create this. To inspire kids with a real human superhero that they can aspire to.”