The Breadwinner is an animated film that has been nominated for nine awards including the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature. Made in 2017, The Breadwinner follows 11-year-old Parvana, a girl who lives under Taliban rule in Kabul, Afghanistan. After her father is unjustly arrested, she decides to cut her hair and dress like a boy in order to support her family. With the support of a friend and the fantastical world of her stories, Parvana sets off to rescue her father and reunite her family.

The 2017 animated drama film by Cartoon Saloon was directed by Nora Twomey and executive produced by Mimi Polk Gitlin and Angelina Jolie. Based on the best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis of the same name, the film was an international co-production between Canada, Ireland, and Luxembourg. The movie received a wide release on Nov.17, 2017 and its world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival in September.

The Breadwinner’s nomination for best-animated film four times was no mistake. With a whimsical feel of children’s drawings, the animation for the film allows the same intense imagery that Parvana experiences with her own stories, throwing the audience into a whole other world. The intensity of the animation allows for an expressive take on storytelling as harsh landscapes are told through a lens of beauty.

The movie’s undercurrents of the film run from the extremeness of human nature to our need to be free and our ability to be human. Parvana and her storytelling create a deep connection with the audience who find themselves rooting for her during times of suffering and distress, hoping for her happy ending.