Watch the trailer for Thandie Newton’s animated documentary, Liyana

Thandie Newton’s executive produced animated documentary, Liyana, is headed to select theatres in October–and it will be sure to make you cry.

Liyana is an animated documentary that focuses on a group of young children in Swaziland whose stories and traumas are told through voiceovers. The documentary film is about a girl named Liyana told through the magic of animation and a specific artistic style.

Emmy-nominated Thandie Newton is the executive producer on the film and was initially intrigued by the project because of what it will mean for African children. She describes her sentiments about the film as follows, “If this young girl can be victorious, then it’s possible for everyone to overcome their fears. Liyana is from rural Africa and these kids have catapulted her onto the main stage of a place none of them ever dreamt they’d find themselves.”

Newton joined this project because of her personal roots to Africa due to her mother being born in Zimbabwe. The process of bringing this story to life and editing it was quite challenging and everything didn’t quite come together until the very end.

The synopsis for Liyana is: “Five children from Swaziland collaborate to craft a collective fairytale drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams.” This sounds absolutely inspiring and beautiful, don’t you think?

The character of Liyana will go on a journey to rescue her twin brothers and during this quest, real and imaginative worlds will start to blend together as the kids must pick which story to go with. The documentary is directed by Aaron and Amanda Kopp both of whom are award-winning filmmakers and cinematographers.

Ahead of its limited release on Oct. 10th, Liyana has already won 26 festival awards and been shown at over 80 festivals achieving great critical acclaim. Suffice to say we can’t wait to see this Thandie Newton project come to life on the screen in all its inspiring animated glory.

Are you going to watch Liyana when it releases? Tell us your thoughts and check out the trailer above!