Kim Chapiron paints the successful portrait of a petty criminal who becomes a charismatic religious leader. He wrote The Young Imaminspired by a true story, in collaboration with Ladj Ly, director of Miserables.
Abdulah Sisoko is breathtaking in the title role of a brilliant boy torn between the desire to earn a good living by making his mother proud and that of leading his community with firmness and flexibility. “When I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, my friends practiced their religion without it causing any problems or causing controversy, confides Kim Chapiron to 20 minutes. It is this Islam, practiced by the majority of Muslims, that we wanted to show in the film. »
A model of intelligence
His hero evolves towards modernity by becoming a star of social networks which makes co-religionists cringe more inclined towards stricter traditions. It ends up finding its place in the hearts of the faithful, delighted to see a young man take up their torch and help them go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Until the moment when his destiny turns into a mixture of naivety and greed.
“We wanted to show a community that lives its religion gently while revealing the life of a Malian family. Ladj Ly, who participated in the script, helped me to enter this universe”, emphasizes Kim Chapiron. From Africa to the suburbs of Paris, The Young Imam moves by evoking a peaceful Islam for a strong film, a model of intelligence, to better understand the world around us.