“Bad Boys for Life” filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are set to direct a film about the tragic true story of Sanda Dia, a Black student who died in 2018 after enduring a violent fraternity hazing ritual at an elite university in Belgium.
Brussels-based production company Komoko, founded by Nabil Ben Yadir and Marc Goyens, is producing the film.
Penned by El Arbi and Fallah, the script was inspired by the books penned by Dia’s father, Ousmane (Papis) Dia, “ze hebben mijn zoon vermoord” (“They Killed My Son”), and “De doop die leidde tot de dood” (“The Baptism That Led to Death”) by journalist Pieter Huyberechts.
Dia was 20 years old when he died in the hazing ritual at the Catholic University of Leuven, where he was forced by members of an elite – and mostly white — fraternity to swallow a live goldfish, and drink large amount of fish oil and alcohol during a brutal initiation ritual. Dia collapsed and died in a hospital two days later after suffering
News Dia’s death sparked uproar in Belgium and call for justice as the 18 members of the fraternity who were involved in the hazing didn’t receive a prison sentence and were instead sentenced between 200 and 300 hours of community service, and fined about $430 each.
“Like everyone else, we were in shock of what happened to Sanda during those two days,” said El Arbi and Fallah on the project. “When we got in touch with his father, Papis Dia, we were impressed by his courage and his willpower to fight for justice. This film is a love letter from him to Sanda. We recognize ourselves in Sanda and our parents in Papis,” said the directors.
The untitled project marks a milestone for Komoko which was “founded with a mission to support bold and visionary filmmakers,” said the company. The outfit recently produced “Têtes Brûlées” by Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama, which premiered at the Berlinale Generation section earlier this week.
The company’s ambitious slate includes the feature debut of celebrated choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. The producers are meeting potential partners for the untitled project at the Berlinale.
El Arbi and Fallah recently directed “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” and “Gangstas,” the coming-of-age tale of Jamal ‘Juice Sinclair’ and his rise to fame.
