Middle Eastern Studies Program presents: Letters to the President

Film Screening of Letters to the President Directed by: Petr Lom (74 Minutes) “This is an observational verité film about President Ahmadinejad’s regime in Iran. The director - the only foreign filmmaker with this exclusive access - was allowed to travel on several of the President’s populist trips to the countryside in 2008. On these 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. Finding little evidence for the government’s claim that its charity resolves the problems of most letters, the film instead shows how promises and propaganda almost always kindle the sometimes desperate hope of the poor. More timely than ever, this film accurately portrays the deep divisions within Iran - showing both Ahmadinejad's supporters as well as his opponents, and illustrating the hypocrisy of the ruling regime.” -Producers