February 28: THE LETTER (dir. Maia Lekow & Christopher King; 2019) | Film Premiere

5pm | Sunday, February 28, 2021. | Alliance Française Lagos, 9 Osborne Road, Ikoyi | Free Entry. | RSVP

Join us for the Nigerian premiere of THE LETTER (Maia Lekow & Christopher King; Kenya, 2019). The feature-length documentary is a moving story of organised witch-hunts, and is Kenya’s official entry to this year’s Academy Awards (Best International Film).
We can’t wait to welcome you to the auditorium of the Alliance Française Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre on Sunday, February 28 at 5pm prompt (doors open at 4.30pm). The screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers.
Entry is free but remember, no face masks, no entry. RSVP recommended, as there are limited seats available in compliance with social distancing guidelines. Be kind and tell a friend!

Screen Out Loud would like to thank the director-producers Maia Lekow and Christopher King for the collaboration and the opportunity to share this beautiful and thoughtful documentary with the Lagos audience. Special thanks also go to Chioma Onyenwe (Creative Director, Africa International Film Festival) for facilitating the introduction.

About THE LETTER
Filmed with a gentle pace and incredible closeness, The Letter is an intimate family portrait that reveals an indestructible female power. Karisa’s city-life is interrupted when his Grandma back home is called a witch on facebook. Returning to his rural village to investigate, he finds a frenzied mixture of consumerism and Christianity is turning hundreds of families against their elders, branding them as witches as a means to steal their ancestral land.
Karisa’s Grandma, Margaret, is a respected elder of her church, and spends her days cultivating her fields to feed her family. Karisa’s uncles claim that Grandma is worshipping the devil, and demand she be exorcised by their Pentecostal priests. Karisa’s strong-willed Aunties, however, are doing everything they can to protect their mother. As Karisa delicately navigates between his disputing relatives, the love for his Grandmother must overcome the imminent danger of the accusations against her.
The inevitable universal theme of how land is divided when an elder dies, is entangled by the chaotic mixture of traditions of the past with the newly imposed influence of western values and religion. The understated power of women, alongside the resilience of family and community shines above all else, despite the growing threat of greed and inter-generational alienation.