Film: A letter to the president

Film Screening: A Letter to the PResident

Sunday, February 12 at 1:00 PM

SIFF Film Center | 305 Harrison St.

General Admission: $14; SIFF members and Seattle Opera subscribers: $9

Join us and SIFF for a showing of A Letter to the President by Afghan film producer, director, and A Thousand Splendid Suns director, Roya Sadat. The showing will be followed by a Q&A session with Roya Sadat.

A Letter to the President
Rated PG-13
Soraya is a public official struggling to enforce the law in Afghanistan today. When she decides to save a young woman accused of adultery from the justice of a clan, things spiral for the worse to the point that she's arrested and put on death row. Asking for justice, she writes to the president, the last person who can save her. But will he listen to her plea?

Shot entirely in Afghanistan despite constant security threats, the film tells an important story of society there today, when the country is known to the outside world for violence and war. With a female lead, directed by a woman, and completely self-financed, it is an extraordinary example for Afghan independent cinema at the early stages of its development.

Film length: 90 minutes, followed by Q+A

Tickets are available for purchase through SIFF's website.

Buy Tickets

Subscriber Ticket Discount

Seattle Opera subscribers can purchase discounted $9 tickets to this film screening. Log in to My Account to access your exclusive promo code.

Watch the Trailer

About the director

Roya Sadat is Afghanistan’s first woman film and television producer during the post-Taliban era and the winner of more than 20 international film awards, including the 2021 Kim Dae Jung Nobel Peace Film Award and the 2018 International Women of Courage Award presented by the United States Department of State. Sadat is among the BBC’s 100 Inspiring and Influential Women for 2021. Her three films—A Letter to the President (’17), Playing the Taar (’08), and Three Dots (’03)—have been invited to more than 60 International Film Festivals. A Letter to the President was selected as the official entry from Afghanistan for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90^th Academy Awards. In addition, she has produced eight documentary films, three television programs, as well as a music video.

ALSO happening this same weekend: Jashin: A Celebration of Afghan Arts at the Opera Center, Saturday, February 11.

Learn more

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Add to Calendar 2/12/2023 12:00:00 AM 2/12/2023 12:00:00 AM America/Vancouver Film Screening: A Letter to the PResident Roya Sadat Film Screening Sunday, February 12 at 1:00 PM SIFF Film Center (305 Harrison St.) Join us and SIFF for a showing of A Letter to the President by Afghan film producer and director, Roya Sadat. The showing will be followed by a Q&A session with Roya Sadat. A Letter to the President Rated PG-13 Soraya is a public official struggling to enforce the law in Afghanistan today. When she decides to save a young woman accused of adultery from the justice of a clan, things spiral for the worse to the point that she's arrested and put on death row. Asking for justice, she writes to the president, the last person who can save her. But will he listen to her plea? Shot entirely in Afghanistan despite constant security threats, the film tells an important story of society there today, when the country is known to the outside world for violence and war. With a female lead, directed by a woman, and completely self-financed, it is an extraordinary example for Afghan independent cinema at the early stages of its development. Film length: 90 minutes

Buy Tickets

Add to Calendar 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM America/Vancouver Film Screening: A Letter to the PResident Roya Sadat Film Screening Sunday, February 12 at 1:00 PM SIFF Film Center (305 Harrison St.) Join us and SIFF for a showing of A Letter to the President by Afghan film producer and director, Roya Sadat. The showing will be followed by a Q&A session with Roya Sadat. A Letter to the President Rated PG-13 Soraya is a public official struggling to enforce the law in Afghanistan today. When she decides to save a young woman accused of adultery from the justice of a clan, things spiral for the worse to the point that she's arrested and put on death row. Asking for justice, she writes to the president, the last person who can save her. But will he listen to her plea? Shot entirely in Afghanistan despite constant security threats, the film tells an important story of society there today, when the country is known to the outside world for violence and war. With a female lead, directed by a woman, and completely self-financed, it is an extraordinary example for Afghan independent cinema at the early stages of its development. Film length: 90 minutes SIFF Film Center | 305 Harrison St.