HBO's Spotlight On Iran to Air "Letters to the President"
Press Release by HBO
LETTERS TO
THE PRESIDENT
PROVIDES AN
UNPRECEDENTED LOOK AT IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD AS HE TRAVELS HIS
COUNTRY WHEN THE DOCUMENTARY DEBUTS JUNE 10 ON HBO2, TWO DAYS PRIOR TO
THE IRANIAN ELECTIONS
A scene from "Letters To The President," a documentary about Iranian
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad (center) by Czech-Canadian filmmaker
Peter Lom
Film Is Part Of A Spotlight On
Iran Airing on HBO 2 In June
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – the first Iranian leader in a generation
who is not a religious cleric – is one of the most controversial figures on the
world stage. Though embraced by some Iranians – particularly the rural poor –
as a "man of the people," he also divides opinion within his country.
Filmmaker Petr Lom provides an up-close view of this complex leader when LETTERS
TO THE PRESIDENT debuts WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT), two days
before Ahmadinejad stands for reelection, exclusively on HBO2.
Other HBO2 play dates: June 13 (11:00 p.m.),
15 (8:00 a.m.) and 26 (5:00 p.m.)
LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT is one of three
documentaries about Iran debuting on consecutive Wednesdays on HBO2 in June.
The others are: "The Queen and I" (debuting June 17), chronicling the friendship
between filmmaker Nahid Persson Sarvestani the deposed Queen Farah, wife of the
late Shah of Iran, and "Be Like Others" (June 24), an intimate look at the world
of Iraninan transsexuals living under strict Islamic rule.
Peter Lom
As the only foreign documentary filmmaker granted permission to shoot President
Ahmadinejad, Lom was given extraordinary access joining him on several of his
populist trips to the countryside to capture the widely varying attitudes of
Iranians toward their multi-faceted leader. The result is vivid snapshot
of the personalities, policies and promises that shape today's Iran. In
the course of his travels, President Ahmadinejad encourages people to write him
outlining their misfortunes and receives letters that include everything from
pleas for loans and medical attention, to entreaties for help in finding housing
and jobs. In one missive, for example, a 16-year-old boy says his family has no
money and goes to bed hungry every night. According to a staff member, the
president has received about ten million letters, and responded to nearly
three-quarters of them. The film reveals this "success" rate as largely
propaganda, for very few people actually seem to get results from their letters.
LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT visits
Ahmadinejad's birthplace, Aradan, a town of 20,000, where the residents speak
proudly of how he grew up to be a university professor, then Mayor of Tehran and
finally President. One supporter says that some people complain about inflation
and the price of rice, but would still vote for him again, observing that no one
answered their letters before Ahmadinejad, while now there is a whole team
dedicated to the task.
At the Presidential Letter
Processing Center in Tehran, letters are sorted by the gender of the author, for
only individuals of the same sex may review them. The readers are Basiji
students, a religious paramilitary group that not only professes great love for
their country, but are also considered trustworthy with the peoples' secrets.
Asked to comment on declarations
from the United States and European Union that the elections are neither free
nor fair, Ahmadinejad says, "The world's opinion is not so important. What
matters is the people's decision." Some Iranians in the film echo his distrust
of the foreign press, declaring that Ahmadinejad is brave, is interested in the
people, gives good advice and has advanced nuclear power. They say Ahmadinejad
has succeeded in foreign policy, but should focus more on domestic issues,
specifically inflation. Of course, in Iran what people say and actually mean is
never obvious: one man professes support for Ahmadinejad, all the while he is
voting for the President's opponent.
Factions seem to divide between
young and old, as well as between city and country. In Tehran, for instance,
young men and women are extremely unlikely to embrace Ahmadinejad, arguing that
those in the countryside write him, because they "are limited and can't see."
Grievances includecensorship and limits on freedom, his lack of response to women's
issues, and the rules he imposes about wearing jewelry on both men and women.
LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT had its
world premiere at the Berlinale Film Festival last February and is currently
screening at festivals worldwide.
Director Petr Lom's previous
documentaries include "On a Tightrope," (Sundance Film Festival 2007) and
"Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan."
He is a former academic with a Ph.D. in political philosophy from Harvard
University.
LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT is directed, produced and edited by Petr
Lom; executive producer, Behrooz Hashemian; co-producers, ARTE France and Point
du Jour; consulting editors, Anna Contomitros and Jean Tsien.
