Santa Monica-based distributor Outsider Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to "Congo Boy," a musical drama by director Rafiki Fariala that won acclaim at Cannes, ahead of its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film had bowed in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, where lead actor Bradley Fiomona won the best actor prize for his portrayal of a teenage refugee, and its acquisition reflects growing international interest in a story drawn directly from the director's own life as a Congolese refugee.

The film follows 17-year-old Robert, who flees the Democratic Republic of Congo for the Central African Republic and, after his parents are imprisoned, cares for his four younger siblings while pursuing his education and a career in music. Outsider Pictures plans a spring 2027 U.S. release following a run of American festivals, while the film has already been sold to distributors in Germany, Austria, France and Brazil. It is a four-country co-production involving companies in the Central African Republic, France, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Italy, and marks Fariala's follow-up to his 2022 Berlin-premiered documentary "We, Students!"