Bilal: A New Breed of Hero

Bilal: A New Breed of Hero (2016) is a feature-length animated adventure from the UAE, ready to watch online on iFILM. It draws on the life of a man who actually lived more than a thousand years ago.

A boy named Bilal and his little sister are seized and carried far from home to a city ruled by money and power, where a life counts for almost nothing. He grows up enslaved, holding onto a childhood dream of becoming a warrior. Bit by bit he learns that real strength isn't a blade — it's the nerve to speak a truth everyone else is too afraid to say, and to stand against an entire system.

This was the debut feature of Dubai's Barajoun studio: 105 minutes, a budget that rivals Western productions, hand-crafted battle animation and a starry English voice cast led by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as the grown Bilal, with Ian McShane along for it. Ayman Jamal and Khurram Alavi directed, taking cues from the story of Bilal ibn Rabah. A family film with real edges rather than sugar — good for anyone tired of the usual Hollywood animation. Stream Bilal (2016) online on iFILM.