Allah Is Not Obliged

Allah n’est pas obligé is an animated film made in France, Canada, Belgium, and Luxembourg.  

It was directed by Zaven Najjar and first shown in 2025.  

The movie is based on the novel of the same name written by Ahmadou Kourouma in 2000.

 Story 
The story follows Birahima, a twelve-year-old boy who lives in Côte d’Ivoire.    

After his mother dies, he travels with a man named Yacouba to find his aunt in Liberia.    

Along the way, they are taken by rebel groups, and Birahima becomes a child soldier.    

He witnesses violence, war, and suffering while crossing Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire.    

Yacouba uses his role as a magician to survive among the fighters.  

 Voice cast 
 Naky Sy Savané  
 Raymond Dikoumé  
 Thomas Ngijol as Yacouba  
 Adrienne Irving  
 SK07  
 Marc Zinga  
 Annabelle Lengronne

 Production 
 Director: Zaven Najjar  
 Writers: Zaven Najjar and Karine Winczura, based on the novel by Ahmadou Kourouma  
 Producers: Adrien Chef, Paul Thiltges, Sébastien Onomo, Anne-Laure Guégan, Éric Idriss Kanango, Daniel Múgica  
 Music: Thibault Kientz-Agyeman  
 Studios: La Fabrique d’Images, Special Touch Studio, Paul Thiltges Distributions, Need Productions  
 Distributor: BAC Films
 Language: French  
 Running time: 77 minutes  

 Release 
The movie was first shown on  at the Annecy Festival.  

It was released in French cinemas on .

 Background 
The film is based on the 2000 novel Allah n’est pas obligé by Ahmadou Kourouma, which won the Prix Renaudot and the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens.    

The novel tells the same story of Birahima, a boy-soldier in West Africa, and mixes humor, sadness, and political truth.  

 See also 
 Child soldiers

 References 

 External links 
 Official page at Annecy Festival

Category:French-language movies