liv tyler is among the cast of a new animated film launched on Friday 24 April to reshape what families find when they search for dyslexia online. The campaign comes from the charity Made By Dyslexia and puts 13-year-old York actress Hope Day at the center of the project as the voice of Lola. The film, What is dyslexia?, will premiere on Saturday 25 April at the BFI IMAX in London.
York teenager fronts the new campaign
Hope Day, a pupil at The Mount School, plays Lola in the short film alongside Jeremy Irons, Liv Tyler and Jaalen Best. The story follows a young girl who turns to the internet after learning she has dyslexia, only to find information that leaves her feeling hopeless.
From there, the film shifts direction: Lola meets a dyslexic inventor who guides her toward the strengths and achievements of dyslexic thinkers throughout history, including Muhammad Ali and Henry Ford. Made By Dyslexia says the campaign is designed to transform the kind of information children and parents encounter at the top of search results when they look up the phrase “What is dyslexia?”
Liv Tyler appears in a film built for search discovery
The production is part of a global effort to change how dyslexia is framed online, using a film titled exactly after the most widely searched term. The charity says the aim is to replace a bleak first impression with a strengths-based one that reflects dyslexic thinking as creative, colourful and imaginative.
Giles Watson, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO, said the film was designed to influence the signals that shape search visibility. He said the “Knowledge Panel” cannot be bought or gamed and is shaped by cultural signals, adding that every element from casting to distribution was built to help the film surface at the top of search and become more powerful.
Voices behind the project
Psembi Kinstan, lead creative partner of the charity, said the film had been developed over years and was made with world-class talent so it could reach a global audience. Kate Griggs, executive producer of the film and founder of Made By Dyslexia, said a search for “What is dyslexia” has too often returned a narrative defined by challenges.
Griggs said the film is a vital next step in the effort to change how the world understands dyslexia, pointing to the combination of performances and painterly animation as a way to reflect how dyslexic minds see the world. Hope Day also said she wanted to be part of the project because online information can make dyslexic children feel that something is wrong with them, and she wanted other children to see that dyslexia can bring brilliant strengths. The film’s launch marks the latest push by Made By Dyslexia, with liv tyler helping draw attention to a message the charity hopes will reach families at the exact moment they search for answers.
What happens next
What is dyslexia? is set to premiere at the BFI IMAX in London on Saturday 25 April, with the campaign beginning on Friday 24 April. Made By Dyslexia says the film will also be discovered by children globally through search and other distribution channels as part of its wider effort to shift the public understanding of dyslexia. For now, the launch puts Liv Tyler, Hope Day and the charity’s message into the spotlight at a moment when search results matter most.
