Documentary Showcase Presents Liyana, a Tale of Orphaned African Children Transforming Trauma into Hope

Los Angeles, CA, June 02, 2024 --(PR.com)-- Scientology Network’s Documentary Showcase, the weekly series providing a platform for Independent filmmakers to air films on important social, cultural and environmental issues, presents the award-winning documentary Liyana.

Documentary Showcase airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Scientology Network.

Liyana draws upon the heart-wrenching, real-life experiences of five African orphans to create an original story about a girl named Liyana who must undertake a perilous journey to save her twin brothers.

Filmmakers Aaron and Amanda Kopp’s critically acclaimed, feature-length film Liyana weaves together documentary scenes and stunning 3-D animation to bring an utterly original tale to life.

The orphans, living in a children’s home in the Kingdom of Eswatini, are guided to draw on their life experiences to shape their story. The film becomes, ultimately, an inspirational look at creativity and imagination forging a path towards a bright and more promising future.

Liyana has screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and has won more than 35 jury and audience awards including the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the LA Film Festival and the Knight Documentary Achievement Award.

About Aaron Kopp

Aaron Kopp is an EMMY® Award-nominated cinematographer who grew up in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Aaron shot and co-produced the Academy Award-winning documentary Saving Face, about acid attacks in Pakistan and was the cinematographer on the Academy Award-nominated film The Hunting Ground, about sexual abuse on college campuses. He’s worked around the world on films for Netflix, HBO, National Geographic and more. Aaron has received grants from the MacArthur Foundation and the Doha Film Institute for Liyana, his feature directorial debut.

About Amanda Kopp

Amanda Kopp is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer and artist who produced and shot Likhaya (the short film companion piece to Liyana), which won a Golden Palm and People’s Choice and Best Documentary awards at international festivals. Amanda’s photographic work has been published in the UK, US, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Pakistan and Italy. For Liyana, she was the recipient of the Emerging Female Filmmaker Award from the Oxford Film Festival.

About Documentary Showcase

Fundamental to Scientology is a humanitarian mission that extends to some 200 nations with programs for human rights, human decency, literacy, morality, drug prevention and disaster relief. For this reason, the Scientology Network provides a platform for Independent filmmakers who embrace a vision of building a better world.

Documentary Showcase debuts films weekly from award-winning Independent filmmakers whose goal is to improve society by raising awareness of social, cultural and environmental issues.

For more information, visit scientology.tv/docs.

The Scientology Network debuted on March 12, 2018. Since launching, the Scientology Network has been viewed in over 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Satisfying the curiosity of people about Scientology, the network takes viewers across six continents, spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists; showing the Church as a global organization; and presenting its social betterment programs that have touched the lives of millions worldwide. The network also showcases documentaries by Independent filmmakers who represent a cross section of cultures and faiths, but share a common purpose of uplifting communities.

Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church’s global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and can be streamed at scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.