The Kenya Film Commission selected DOC NYC-bound The Letter as the country’s official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Film. The film commission describes it as ‘filmed with a gentle pace and incredible closeness, The Letter is an intimate family portrait that reveals an indestructible female power.’
Following its world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA) last year, Maia Lekow and Christopher King’s film was screened at festivals around the world, including AFI Docs and Docs Barcelona where it won a Special Jury Mention, in addition to a One World Media Awards nomination in April 2020. The nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Feb 9 2021 ahead of the April 25 awards ceremony.
A Kenyan family drama of Shakespearean proportions, The Letter is a tribute to the fearless spirit of 94-year old Margaret Kamango. Her prized ancestral land becomes a target for close family members, who mount a witch hunt under the thinly-veiled guise of Pentecostal Christianity, as others, including her grandson Karisa rally around her.
Upcoming screenings:
DOC NYC‘s International Perspectives section (Nov 11- 19) with a Q&A on Oct 14, 10am EST
African Diaspora International Film Festival (Nov 27-Dec 13)