Boulder, CO 80302
Please join us for the Screening of the film Liyana, winner of more than 30 jury and audience awards and screened at more than 100 film festivals around the world, including the British Film Institute’s London Film Festival and MoMA’s Doc Fortnight. Event proceeds and donations will support construction of the Akpe Cultural Center in Kokrobite, Ghana. Local musician Maputo Mensah, is currently working to build this vibrant center which will welcome both local and international students of the African arts. Maputo shares his passion for the arts and culture of West Africa with his students at the University of Colorado, the University of Denver, K-12 schools in the Rocky Mountain region, and at community venues in the Front Range.
Purchase tickets here. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Maputo will be drumming in the Canyon Theater prior to the screening.
About the film: Under the guidance of acclaimed South African storyteller Gcina Mhlophe, five orphaned children from Eswatini collaborate to craft a collective fairy tale drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams.
Their 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.
This genre-defying film weaves an original animated hero's journey with poetic documentary scenes to create an inspiring tale of perseverance. Liyana is a tribute to creativity, the strength of the human spirit, and the healing power of storytelling. Executive produced by award-winning actress Thandie Newton.
