REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIRUT -- Movie star Salma Hayek said on Monday her new film The Prophet was a labour of love that helped her explore her relationship with her late Lebanese grandfather who adored the book that inspired it.

The animated film, which draws on the 1923 book by Lebanese-born writer Kahlil Gibran, tells the story of Almitra, a headstrong girl who forms a friendship with the imprisoned poet Mustafa, voiced by actor Liam Neeson.

Mexican-American actress Hayek co-produced the film and does the voice-over for Almitra's mother, Kamila. The story unfolds in an imaginary coastal city and explores Gibran's themes of love and spirituality.

"Through this book I got to know my grandfather, through this book I got to have my grandfather teaching me about life," she told reporters in Beirut where she was launching the film.