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Liyana

Play trailer 2:00 Poster for Liyana 2018 1h 17m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 36 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous mission to save her twin brothers.
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Liyana

Liyana

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Critics Consensus

Empowering children to share their experiences, Liyana amplifies marginalized voices and iterates storytelling's healing properties, gifting us a joyful documentary.

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Critics Reviews

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Ben Sachs Chicago Reader Like Abbas Kiarostami's documentary ABC Africa (2001), the result is an unexpectedly joyous film about heavy subjects. Apr 9, 2020 Full Review Karen Han L.A. Weekly If the rule is "show, don't tell," then Liyana is a success. Oct 22, 2018 Full Review Kimber Myers Los Angeles Times The children's stories alone would have been compelling, but illustrating them in this medium adds even more depth, nuance and emotion. Oct 18, 2018 Full Review Betsy Bozdech AWFJ.org The two worlds the film captures - the orphans' African home and Liyana's gorgeously rendered environment - are ultimately beautiful, despite all of the pain and tragedy they hold... Oct 11, 2021 Full Review Cate Marquis AWFJ.org In lesser hands, this documentary could have been something simple and too sweet, but Aaron Kopp, who grew up in Swaziland, and his wife Amanda, wisely let the children' express their darker thoughts as well as the hopeful ones. Oct 11, 2021 Full Review Kip Mooney College Movie Review While much of the story is basic Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey stuff, like any story, it's made memorable by its details. Rated: B Aug 21, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Worse than the worse movie. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member A little interesting and will pass the time, but that is about it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A true work of art. Beautiful in concept and visually stunning. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Inspirational, heartwarming, and visually stunning. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member absolute fucking shit, not worth you or ur kids time Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member absolute trash not even worth your consideration Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Liyana

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Cast & Crew

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Aaron Kopp

Director

Amanda Kopp

Director

Gcina Mhlophe

Actor

Albie Hecht

Executive Producer

Susan MacLaury

Executive Producer

Davis Coombe

Producer

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Liyana

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Liyana

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Movie Info

Synopsis A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous mission to save her twin brothers.
Director
Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp
Producer
Davis Coombe, Sakheni Dlamini, Daniel Junge, Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp
Distributor
Abramorama
Production Co
Doha Film Institute, Intaba Creative, Shine Global
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 10, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 19, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$23.1K
Runtime
1h 17m
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