For many Auburn students, the films that are released with big names and come to the theaters around town get stale. Action scenes, explosions, useless sequels and cab rides to catch a lover at the airport gate can only be redone so many times before they all run together.
Last Thursday night the Jule Collins Art Museum looked to solve this problem by screening Aaron and Amanda Kopp's
A small crowd gathered in the auditorium at the museum to watch the film and talk with the two directors afterward.
Liyana tells the story of orphaned children in Swaziland as they attend school and learn how to craft their own story.
The story they make is about a young Swazi girl named Liyana who loses both of her parents to HIV, watches her brothers get kidnapped, and then goes on a journey across Africa to find them.
Interviews of the children are combined with animations of Liyana's story to make a complex film that examines the imaginations of orphans in a third world country, as well as the hardships that they face.
Last year this film received awards at over 15 film festivals around the United States including "Best Documentary" at the LA Film Festival.
According to co-director Aaron Kopp, this film reminds people that "it's important to pay attention to whose story is being told, and whose voice needs to be heard." He reiterated that statement by reminding the audience that while he and his wife were the ones telling this story, it was definitely the kid's story.
"We wanted to pass the mic to the children and let them speak." said co-director Amanda Kopp. "These kids have troubling pasts and we wanted to give them a way to share what they have been through."
This film definitely reflects the struggles that many young orphans in Africa face like AIDS/HIV, alcoholism, rape, and kidnapping. However, by having these children tell stories instead of talking directly about their past, these themes can be addressed honestly and without bias.
This was only the first film in a three-part series that is coming to the Jule Collins. The next film will be in March and the final one in April.
The Kopps will also be taking this film to other towns, film festivals and universities in the Southeast.
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