Abramorama has snagged the rights to “Liyana,” a documentary featuring South African storyteller Gcina Mhlophe. Directed by Amanda and Aaron Kopp, the film made its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival this June.
Deadline reports that “Liyana” will open in New York City on October 10 with a theatrical release planned for select cities in the following weeks. The doc sees Mhlophe “guiding us in a narrative about five orphaned children from Swaziland who collaborate to craft a collective fairytale drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams,” according to the source. “Their titular fictional character, Liyana, is brought to life in innovative animated artwork as she embarks on a perilous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. The children’s real and imagined worlds begin to converge, and they must choose what kind of story they will tell — in fiction and in their own lives.”
“Westworld’s” Thandie Newton is among the project’s exec producers.
“It is a privilege to be working with Abramorama,” said Amanda and Aaron Kopp. “They have an impressive track record of helping great films find their audience. Their innovative approach to film distribution suits our unique film perfectly.”
“I was drawn to this story by the complex characters of the kids in the film and by the visual possibilities of their lives and their imaginations,” Amanda Kopp told us. “I hope that people’s views of ‘kids like this’ will be different than they were when they went in. I want people to know the value of telling their own story and to feel inspired.”
Also an award-winning photographer, artist, producer, and cinematographer, she filmed for the “The Hunting Ground,” a 2015 documentary about the prevalence of sexual assault at college campuses across the U.S. “Liyana” is her feature directorial debut.
Check out the film’s trailer below.