It's been over a year since Amandla Stenberg's Holocaust movie Where The Hands Touch was first announced. Now, we have our first real look at the film via People.
Written and directed by British screenwriter Amma Asante, the historical drama follows Leyna (Stenberg), a biracial teen growing up in an increasingly terrifying Nazi Germany. The daughter of a white German mother and a Black father, things get further complicated and dangerous when Leyna falls in love with a Nazi soldier. The emotional trailer is a sweeping tale of love and familial bonds in the face of unadulterated hate.
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Asante is best known for Belle, a story about the experience of a young woman of African decent in late-17th century England. “I realized a long time ago that the histories of Black people in Europe were never really told,” Asante said in an interview with People, adding, “Our existence at certain crucial times in history has rarely been acknowledged along with the variety of our experiences, and identities never really given prominence on the big screen.”
Stenberg, 19, put on a German accent and shaved her head for the film, sharing a photo of herself in January 2017 after filming wrapped. A fierce proponent of representation in film, Stenberg walked away from leading role in the mega-hit Black Panther so the role could go to a darker-skinned actress as the film takes place in the fictional African country of Wakanda.
It's time to alert the Academy, Stenberg is here for her Oscar.
The film hits theaters September 14 — watch the full trailer, below.