Year: 2016
Country:
USA, UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE
Language:
English, Arabic
Run Time:
95 minutes
A pioneering diplomat and a political hero in her own right, Gertrude Bell has an untold story that is shared in LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD. Academy Award®-winning actor Tilda Swinton provides the voice of Bell in a documentary uniquely told solely from historical documents, private diaries, and numerous letters exchanged between Bell and her colleagues. After growing up in England and attending the University of Oxford, Bell’s independence launched her on an extended journey to foreign lands—a feat unheard of for women of her era. Bell’s widespread travels throughout Iraq, Iran, Syria, and the Arabian desert branded her an invaluable asset to the British Empire during WWI. History books dole out plenty of recognition for the work of her peers at the time, such as Lawrence of Arabia and Winston Churchill. But it was Bell’s intimate knowledge of Middle Eastern culture and innate ability to influence major political players that helped establish a stable, post-war Iraqi government and impact the region in ways that are still evident today. (In English and Arabic with subtitles) —A.B.
Friday, April 07, 2017 at 5:35 PM
Saturday, April 08, 2017 at 1:20 PM
Sidebars
VOICES OF THE ARAB WORLD
WOMEN OF THE WORLD
Genre
Recommended for High School Students +
Competitions
Nesnadny + Schwartz Portrait Documentary Competition
Reel Women Direct Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman
Director
Sabine Krayenbühl, Zeva Oelbaum
Sabine Krayenbühl is an award-winning editor who has worked on more than 20 documentaries and narrative features. She holds a B.F.A. from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and is a long-term member of New York Women in Film and Television. Zeva Oelbaum is an award-winning producer and photographer. She is a graduate of Brandeis University with a degree in Anthropology and a member of the Producer's Guild. Krayenbühl and Oelbaum are the founders of Between the Rivers Productions.
Filmography
LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD (2016)
Producer
Zeva Oelbaum
Cinematography
Gary Clarke, Petr Hlinomaz
Editing
Sabine Krayenbühl
This film is presented with the generous support of CHAR and CHUCK FOWLER.
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