Talented SA songbird Lira has landed a dramatic acting role in a full-length feature film. The movie, The Italian Consul, in which Lira features alongside Italian actress Giulianna de Sio, follows the dramatic journey of two women and briefly touches on the subject of human trafficking.

"The director Antonio Falduto spotted my picture on the cover of a magazine and he said ‘I want her to portray a particular character in my movie’, which just happened to be the supporting lead role," said Lira.

"I was really attracted to the story when I read the script - it is beautiful. My character gets lured into human trafficking through modelling. I was so shocked whilst researching for my role. I learnt so much about human trafficking and what it really involves. That is one of the ways that they do it - they find destitute girls who have a certain look and they then trap them into lives of sex slaves and domestic workers. My character becomes a prostitute.

Lira added, "To me, the movie has a cinema nouveau feel - it has a very serious and dramatic tone. So I am guessing that the film will do the rounds on the European movie circuit and hit Cannes before it is released in South Africa".