LIYANA
Qatar, Swaziland, USA | 77 min. 2017
Recommended ages: 10 + | English & SiSwati, w/ English subtitles

A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. This animated African tale is born in the imaginations of five orphaned children in Swaziland who collaborate to tell a story of perseverance drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams. Their fictional character’s journey is interwoven with poetic and observational documentary scenes to create a genre-defying celebration of collective storytelling. An ode to the power of storytelling and the strength of the human spirit, Liyana is an uplifting, genre-defying film not to be missed. Note: while sensitively handled, film deals with challenging family histories and lingering impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Director’s Statement – LIYANA is a film that gives our young storytellers the stage. We hope the audience will be enchanted by the children’s imaginations in the same way that we are. We believe this film will play a role in deconstructing stereotypes and challenging the prevalent, simplistic narrative of African orphans. LIYANA pays tribute to my childhood in the Kingdom of Swaziland. And at its heart, the film is a meditation on the transformative power of storytelling – an ode to the creative spirit.