Allah Is Not Obliged

In this sweeping tale across borders, Birahima, a ten year old orphan, finds himself obliged to embark on a journey across West Africa to find his aunt. Accompanied by a mysterious sorcerer named Yacouba, he ends up caught in a series of squabbles with misfits who recruit him as a child soldier in the civil war of Liberia.

This animation film addresses loss of innocence, death, grief and the trauma of children thrown amidst the chaos of armed conflict.

Based on an award-winning novel of the same name by the Ivorian author Ahmadou Kourouma, the debut feature by Lebanese-French filmmaker and animator Zaven Najjar mixes the terror of these events with dark humor. The film premiered in the official competition of the Red Sea film Festival 2025. (HF)

This film is not suitable for viewers under the age of 16.