Doc series closes out 2018 w/ inspired Liyana, Nadia Murad profile

On Sunday, December 2nd, at the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture, the Bozeman Doc Series presents the Montana premiere of the award-winning new documentary, Liyana, beginning at 7pm.
The screening will be preceded at 6pm by a reception featuring food and drink in the Emerson lobby and the fifth annual Bozeman Doc Series silent auction featuring items from sponsors such as Saffron Table, The Lark, Bozeman Spirits Distillery, and many more.
Under the guidance of acclaimed South African storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe, five orphaned children from Swaziland collaborate to craft a collective fairytale 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.
Produced by Oscar-winner Daniel Junge, Liyana has garnered widespread critical acclaim, won more than 25 jury and audience awards, and screened at more than 80 film festivals around the world, including the British Film Institute’s London Film Festival and MoMA’s Doc Fortnight.
“A lyrical work that’s as bright and captivating as it is poignant.” – The Hollywood Reporter
“Gorgeous… unlike any documentary you’ve ever seen.” – Entertainment Weekly
“Brilliant… The world desperately needs to see more stories like this.” – Shadow & Act
The reception and silent auction begin at 6pm, prior to the film at 7pm. The auction will include: gift certificates from several Doc Series sponsors including The Lark, Treeline Coffee and Saffron Table, gift boxes from Bozeman Spirits, a massage from Reintegrative Massage, passes and schwag from the Bozeman Doc Series, a CSA share from Strike Farms, and much more.
Following on Sunday, December 16th at the Emerson, the Doc Series presents a screening of Sundance-winning documentary, On Her Shoulders. Documenting the quiet persistence of Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, the film screens at 7pm.
Twenty-three-year-old Nadia Murad’s life is a dizzying array of exhausting undertakings – from giving testimony before the U.N. to visiting refugee camps to soul-bearing media interviews and one-on-one meetings with top government officials. With deep compassion and a formal precision and elegance that matches Murad’s calm and steely demeanor, filmmaker Alexandria Bombach follows this strong-willed young woman, who survived the 2014 genocide of the Yazidis in Northern Iraq and escaped the hands of ISIS to become a relentless beacon of hope for her people, even when at times she longs to lay aside this monumental burden and simply have an ordinary life.
“An essential portrait of the strength required to speak up.” – Indiewire
“Director Alexandria Bombach handles this material with enormous sensitivity and artistry.” – Pure Nonfiction
“Direct and effective. An essential documentary about an inspiring young woman.” – The Film Stage
Single admission to Liyana and On Her Shoulders are $10, or $8 for students. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at Cactus Records and Movie Lovers, as well as www.bozemandocseries.org where you can buy Season Passes and 7-film punch cards, learn more about the series, and view trailers for upcoming films. Starting January 10th, the series will move to every other Thursday through April.