By: Denkinesh Argaw
The upcoming animated film Bilal is based on the true story of the Prophet Muhammad’s most trusted and loyal companion. Bilal Ibn Rabah, a freed slave of Ethiopian origin and the son of an Abyssinian princess, converted to Islam after his emancipation and rose to power during Islam’s early years. He is best remembered for serving as the religion’s first muezzin (caller to prayer) and being a symbol for social and human equality.
The new movie was first announced last Monday in Dubai by Barajoun Entertainment Animation who have been working on the movie over the past eight years.
Voices in the film are played by some famous American artists including Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, the Game of Thrones star. American actor Will Smith has also expressed his support for the film and around 80 different animation and CGI talents from around the world including those who have worked on 300, Shrek, Lord of the Rings have been brought on board.
There is no released official date as of yet, but it is expected to release in the final quarter of 2015. Keep up with future updates via
Facebook and
TwitterIn the meantime, check out the trailer and synopsis below:
[youtube id=”Wp_7Gdf2blE”]
Synopsis
Bilal is a bright eyed, carefree Ethiopian boy ignited with fanciful imagination and the dreams only a 7 year old can conjure. His voice is gifted from the gods. Then, on a day as similar as any, his dreams become nightmares when his village is ransacked and his tribe murdered, orphaning he and his sister, Ghufaira. They are uprooted, enslaved and thrown into the chaotic wills and wants of their new master, Umayya. Ruthless taunting from Umayya, his spoiled son Safwan and the merchant class force Bilal and Ghufaira down narrow paths of zero resistance. Dreams of freedom and the warrior he fantasized he would become are kept deep in his yearning heart. So it goes for years, the same oppression, insult and enslavement. Grown into a strong young man, Bilal’s spirit is finally quenched with the promise of freedom in a new beginning with God. The physical chains are rendered temporary. The chains on his heart are released, but not before Umayya and Safwan punish and torture him for his new faith. Beaten within an inch of death, a stranger’s charity and Umayya’s greed start Bilal on his final journey. Ghufaira is not so fortunate as she is doomed to stay in the service of Umayya’s household, her fate unknown. Bilal’s destiny is fulfilled when he becomes the great warrior he always dreamed of and joins other free men. They set on a difficult and violent path of liberation; town by town, village by village. Freedom is spread with every battle, culminating in the return to his home town.
The upcoming animated film Bilal is based on the true story of the Prophet Muhammad’s most trusted and loyal companion. Bilal Ibn Rabah, a freed slave of Ethiopian origin and the son of an Abyssinian princess, converted to Islam after his emancipation and rose to power during Islam’s early years. He is best remembered for serving as the religion’s first muezzin (caller to prayer) and being a symbol for social and human equality.
The new movie was first announced last Monday in Dubai by Barajoun Entertainment Animation who have been working on the movie over the past eight years.
Voices in the film are played by some famous American artists including Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, the Game of Thrones star. American actor Will Smith has also expressed his support for the film and around 80 different animation and CGI talents from around the world including those who have worked on 300, Shrek, Lord of the Rings have been brought on board.
In the meantime,
check
out the trailer and synopsis below:
Synopsis
Bilal is a bright eyed, carefree Ethiopian boy ignited with fanciful imagination and the dreams only a 7 year old can conjure. His voice is gifted from the gods. Then, on a day as similar as any, his dreams become nightmares when his village is ransacked and his tribe murdered, orphaning he and his sister, Ghufaira. They are uprooted, enslaved and thrown into the chaotic wills and wants of their new master, Umayya. Ruthless taunting from Umayya, his spoiled son Safwan and the merchant class force Bilal and Ghufaira down narrow paths of zero resistance. Dreams of freedom and the warrior he fantasized he would become are kept deep in his yearning heart. So it goes for years, the same oppression, insult and enslavement. Grown into a strong young man, Bilal’s spirit is finally quenched with the promise of freedom in a new beginning with God. The physical chains are rendered temporary. The chains on his heart are released, but not before Umayya and Safwan punish and torture him for his new faith. Beaten within an inch of death, a stranger’s charity and Umayya’s greed start Bilal on his final journey. Ghufaira is not so fortunate as she is doomed to stay in the service of Umayya’s household, her fate unknown. Bilal’s destiny is fulfilled when he becomes the great warrior he always dreamed of and joins other free men. They set on a difficult and violent path of liberation; town by town, village by village. Freedom is spread with every battle, culminating in the return to his home town.
.
