Rebel

Two brothers are torn apart by radicalisation and extremism in this adrenaline filled action epic about foreign fighters in Syria.

To get away from his life as a criminal and start over, Kamal travels from Brussels to Syria to do relief work for war victims. Unaware that he has left the country, his family and the neighborhood are shocked when he suddenly appears in a propaganda video where he, alongside ISIS soldiers, executes prisoners of war. His mother is shattered by the news, while his 12-year-old younger brother Nassim reacts with grief, despair, and anger. He thus becomes easy prey for radicalized forces promising to reunite him with his brother. Their mother, Leia, now must fight to save her youngest son.

The two directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah manage to show the human side of the different characters through empathetic portrayals that clearly show the motivations for the choices being made. Arbi and Fallah have experience with huge Hollywood productions and use various genre techniques from action films and musicals to tell a gripping and visually stunning story about the war in Syria, and the dangers of radicalization and extremism.

«Rebel is a bold drama on family and brotherhood that eloquently navigates difficult subject matter to provocative effect.» – Andrew Murray, The Upcoming

In connection with the screening of Rebel on Saturday 18th of March at 19:00 there will be a reception where we serve some Moroccan appetisers at 21:30. This is done in partnership with the Moroccan Embassy in Oslo.

Director

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah is a directing duo from Belgium of Moroccan descent. They have previously made Image (2014), Black (2015), Gangsta (2018), and had their Hollywood breakthrough with the blockbuster Bad Boys for Life (2020). Rebel is their fifth feature film.