Screening: Letters from Baghdad + Q&A

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum.

Letters from Baghdad is the story of a true original — Gertrude Bell — sometimes called the “female Lawrence of Arabia”. Voiced and executive produced by Academy award winning actor Tilda Swinton, the film tells the dramatic story of this British spy, explorer and political powerhouse. Bell traveled widely in Arabia before being recruited by British military intelligence during WWI to help draw the borders of Iraq.

Using stunning, never-seen-before footage of the region, Letters from Baghdad chronicles her extraordinary journey into both the uncharted Arabian desert and the inner sanctum of British colonial power. What makes the film stand apart is that the story is told entirely in the words of Gertrude Bell and her contemporaries, excerpted from their intimate letters, private diaries and official documents. This unforgettable documentary takes unique look at both a remarkable woman and the tangled history of Iraq, while transporting us into a past that is eerily current.

Directed by: Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum
Co-produced by: Mia Bays, Christian Popp & Fabrice Esteve
Executive Produced by: Tilda Swinton