British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

Letters from Baghdad

Synopsis

Gertrude Bell was a pioneering English writer, archaeologist, diplomat and spy whose travels through the Arabian desert gave her local knowledge unparalleled by her British peers. Recruited by British Military Intelligence after World War I, she played a significant – often unrecognised – role in British imperial policy-making in the Middle East, notably Iraq. Openly critical of colonial practices, Bell’s insights are a singular, prescient prism through which to understand both the Middle East and the all-male inner sanctum of British colonial power. Directors Oelbaum and Krayenbühl weave together a rich tapestry of fascinating archive alongside Bell’s writings, letters to her parents, and testimony from peers including TE Lawrence and Vita Sackville-West. Though writing a century ago, the acute contemporary relevance of Bell’s words is astonishing – at times even chilling. (LFF brochure)
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2016 - Journey Strand

Details

Year
2016
Type of project
Features
Running time
95 mins
Director
Sabine Krayenbühl, Zeva Oelbaum
Producer
Zeva Oelbaum
Co-Producer
Mia Bays, Christian Popp, Fabrice Esteve
Executive Producer
Tilda Swinton, Thelma Schoonmaker
Editor
Sabine Krayenbühl
Director of Photography
Gary Clarke, Petr Hlinomaz
Sound
Sound Editor: Margaret Crimsons
Principal cast
With the voices of: Tilda Swinton, Rose Leslie, Pip Torrens; Additional Cast: Andrew Havill, Rachel Stirling

Genre

Woman Director

Categories

Documentary

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

UK, US, France coproduction

Letters from Baghdad Ltd

Sabine Krayenbühl

Sales Company

c/o Letters from Baghdad Ltd

Sabine Krayenbühl

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

What You Remember What You Remember

Director: Pauline Blanchet

Year: 2028

How do we remember the past when our history has been faked? One man’s idea to rebuild a capital on the foundations of an unfinished city erased a collective memory, casting a dark shadow over Skopje's future identity.

Climate / Environment Experimental History Woman Director
Actor Maxine Peake being interviewed Quiet on Set: The Class Division in the Film Industry?

Director: Mark Forbes

Year: 2025

Filmmaker Mark Forbes exams classism that has plagued the UK film and TV industry for decades, and through the lens of individuals from working-class backgrounds as we observe the challenges they encounter when attempting to enter the field. Official Selection Galway 37th Film Fleadh 2025 - World premiere

Scottish
A man in formal dark clothing and a hat standing beside a black vehicle at night, raising his hand toward the camera on a busy city street lined with lit shop signs. 6Till6

Director: Burnermunde

Year: 2024

Two guys on a journey to keep the cameras rolling for 24 hours in East London with no plans of what, or who, they will capture. What ensues is a film that is immediately caught in the tension of contradictions, the cities dizzying highs and bottomless lows immediately visible under the same microscope slide. Displaying London’s unique brand of unbridled chaos, alongside the soul-crushing melancholy of the city, in a haunting, deeply affecting, and hilarious way.

Asian Black Climate / Environment Comedy Experimental