Seattle Opera and SIFF present Film about Women in Afghanistan
Presented in partnership with SIFF, A Letter to the President is the second feature film by Afghan film producer, director, and A Thousand Splendid Suns director, Roya Sadat. Called a “righteously compelling feminist drama” by Variety, the film was Afghanistan’s entry for Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Oscars. Includes post-film Q&A with director Roya Sadat. 
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.
A Letter to the President. SIFF Film Center. Seattle Center 305 Harrison St. Seattle, 98109 Sunday Feb. 12 at 1:00 pm. followed by Q+A. PG-13
Tickets: https://www.siff.net/calendar?view=grid&date=2023-02-12. Info: seattleopera.org/siff