Leila Djansi’s latest film, ‘Like Cotton Twines’, continues to blaze the festival trail after a sold-out world premiere at the Los Angeles film festival in June.

Following that, the film is an official selection to the Urban World Film Festival alongside the much anticipated ‘Queen of Katwe’ which stars, Lupita N’yongo.

Visionary filmmaker Ava Duvernay and Selma star David Oyelowo are serving as festival ambassadors.

‘Like Cotton Twines’ screens on Thursday, September 22 at the Empire Theater in the city of New York.

Poised to grace the red carpet will be the film’s star actor, Jay Ellis, who can be seen next in HBO’s ‘Insecure’ and the director Leila Djansi.

‘Like Cotton Twines’ is the story of Tuigi, a 14-year-old JSS student in a small Ghanaian village who has to become a ‘Trokosi’, a slave to the gods as a punishment to atone for her father’s crime.

Her teacher, Micah (Jay Ellis), an America volunteer, wades into the fray and in attempt to rescue her from such cruel fate, must exorcise his own demons when he returns to the land where his ancestors were taken from as slaves.



Director Leila Djansi started her career in the GAMA Film Industry as a writer before leaving to study film at the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design on an artistic honors scholarship.

Her selected credits include the 2015 Macy Gray starrer ‘Where Children Play’, the Black Reel Awards Nominated ‘Ties That Bind’ and the British Academy of Film and Television (Los Angeles) winning film ‘I Sing Of A Well’.

‘Like Cotton Twines’ is produced by Akofa Djankui and Whitney Valcin, executive produced by Amanda Marshall and Dave Harper with cinematography by Pietro Villani.

The film stars Ophelia Dzidzornu as Tuigi, alongside Yvonne Okoro, Miranda Bailey, David Dontoh, Mawuli Semevo, Luckie Lawson and Adjetey Anang.