Young Ahmed

Belgium’s acclaimed Dardenne brothers scooped Cannes’ Best Director prize for this provocative but ultimately tender tale of an Islamic teenager who falls under the influence of an extremist.

In the latest from two-time Palme d’Or-winning filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (The Unknown Girl, MIFF 2016; Two Days, One Night, MIFF 2014; The Kid With a Bike, MIFF 2011), 13-year-old Ahmed goes from average Muslim high schooler to radicalised extremist when a militant imam plants some deadly ideas in the boy’s head. After attacking his teacher, Ines, Ahmed is dispatched to a youth rehabilitation centre in an effort to quell his ferocious anger.

The Dardennes handle this potentially controversial premise with their trademark humanist touch, creating a complex, deeply sympathetic portrait of a teenager at war with himself and the world around him.

“It’s a wise and sensitive contribution to a timely debate.” – Time Out London