BILAL: A NEW BREED OF HERO, starring Ian McShane, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and China Anne McClain, set for release in the U.S. on February 2, 2018. The story about an Ethiopian boy who becomes the voice of Islam is an inspiration.
The film tells the true story of Bilal, (a boy abducted into slavery) who rose up and freed himself from slavery. Originally premiering internationally in 2015, the film has garnered recognition winning “The Best Inspiring Movie” at the Cannes Film Festival, “Best Innovative Movie” at the BroadCast Pro Middle East Award, officially selected at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival under “Best Feature Film” and nominated for “Best Animated Feature Film” at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
1,400 years ago, Bilal, a seven-year-old boy, with a dream of becoming a great warrior, is abducted into slavery with his sister and taken to a land far away from his home and thrown into a world where corruption and injustice rule all. Throughout his life he undergoes many hardships, through which he discovers an inner strength he did not realize he possessed. Through these experiences, Bilal comes to realize that if he is brave enough to raise his voice and choose his own path – everything becomes possible. It is through his courage, that he frees himself and ultimately his community; It is through the power of his voice and faith that his lifelong dream of freedom comes true. Bilal grows into a man who will inspire the world.
“Bilal: A New Breed Of Hero” stars Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Suicide Squad,” “Thor: The Darkworld,” Lost) as the voice of adult Bilal; Ian McShane (American Gods, “John Wick: 2,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ,” Deadwood) as the voice of Umayya, Bilal’s evil master; Jacob Latimore (“Detroit,” “Collateral Beauty,” “The Maze Runner”) as the voice of teenage Bilal; China Anne McClain (“Descendants 2,” Descendants: Wicked World, A.N.T. Farm) as Bilal’s teenage sister Ghufaira; Cynthia Kaye McWilliams (Bosch, Nashville) as Bilal’s mother, Hamama; and Michael Gross (“Tremors,” ER, The Young and the Restless, Family Ties) as Okba the cowardly slave trader.
