MOVIE: Letters to the President
Petr Lom, the director of Letters to the President will join us for a discussion after the first showing of the film.
Showing DECEMBER 12, SK1, 18.10
This film is shown in partnership with Amnesty International’s Movies that Matter.
Letters to the President
PETR LOM – LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT
Running time 72 min.
Credits:
Director, Producer, Camera and Editor: Petr Lom
co‐producer: Point du Jour International and ARTE France.
Executive producer: Behrooz Hashemian.
Produced in association with: Sundance Documentary Fund, Freedom of Expression Foundation Norway.
This is an observational verité film about President Ahmadinejad’s regime in Iran. Allowed to travel on several of the President’s populist trips to the countryside, the filmmaker (the only foreigner given such access) shows Ahmadinejad to be different than he is portrayed by the international media: he is far less the fiery dangerous leader than an ordinary but charismatic politician. During his trips, the President receives many letters – the government claims ten million – from poor Iranians asking for help. The film takes these letters to the President as its narrative thread, and as a device to provide a glimpse into an Iran that is usually not open to outsiders.
“fascinating glimpses into populism and propaganda” – Hollywood Reporter
“an inside look at Iran far beyond the poetic landscapes of Kiarostami” -Tagesspiegel
“documentary as enlightenment at its best” – Film-Dienst
“the best documentary at the Berlinale” – KINO
I saw the film yesterday in The Hague, and it was entertaining, distressing, and thought-provoking. The conversation after was equally thought-provoking, and I cannot wait to hear even more discussion of this film on December 12 at Studio /K. A friend, who had also seen the film, has family in some of the small villages visited by Ahmadinejad. Her cousin told her, “This regime has turned us into beggars.” Our friend added, “All of the inflation is making the poor more dependent and destroying the middle class. Only the rich are untouched.”
[...] film, Letters to the President, will be shown at 18.10 and the discussion will follow at 19.40. Petr Lom was granted unparalleled [...]