Liyana

Liyana is a thrilling, beautifully-illustrated fictional tale of a young girl on a perilous quest to reunite with her brothers. At the same time, it’s a compelling documentary following the lives of five amazing children from an orphanage in Swaziland. Together with their wonderful storytelling teacher, these bright and captivating youngsters transform their difficult experiences through narrative to collectively craft Liyana’s tale. 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. Co-presented with the Museum of Modern Art’s Documentary Fortnight

Grand Prize, Feature