Dakota Fanning defends her new film in which she plays a British orphan raised Muslim in Ethiopia

Fanning is currently preparing to premiere her new filmSweetness in the Bellyat theToronto International Film Festivalthis weekend.

I do not play an Ethiopian woman.

I play a British woman abandoned by her parents at seven years old in African and raised Muslim.

Credit: Courtesy of TIFF

My character, Lilly, journeys to Ethiopia and is caught up in the breakout of civil war.

This film was partly made in Ethiopia, is directed by an Ethiopian man and features many Ethiopian women.

It was a great privilege to be part of telling this story.

Dakota Fanning/Instagram

See Fannings full response, as well as some of the tweets regarding her casting, below.

The film will show at TIFF on Saturday, Sept. 7.