Letters from Baghdad is the story of a true original—Gertrude Bell—sometimes called the female “Lawrence of Arabia.” Voiced and executive produced by Academy award winning actor Tilda Swinton, the documentary tells the dramatic story of this British spy, explorer and political powerhouse. Bell traveled widely in Arabia before being recruited by British military intelligence to help draw the borders of Iraq after WWI. Using never-seen-before footage of the region, the film chronicles Bell’s extraordinary journey into both the uncharted Arabian desert and the inner sanctum of British male colonial power. With unique access to documents from the Iraq National Library and Archive and Gertrude Bell’s own 1600 letters, the story is told entirely in the words of the players of the day, excerpted verbatim from intimate letters, private diaries and secret communiqués. It is a unique look at both a remarkable woman and the tangled history of Iraq. The film takes us into a past that is eerily current.

Photograph of Gertrude Bell courtesy of The Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University

Founded by Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbühl, Between the Rivers Productions creates character-driven documentary films that explore extraordinary individuals through the intersection of history, culture and film. Zeva and Sabine met working together on the film Ahead of Time, about another extraordinary woman, journalist Ruth Gruber. Between the Rivers Productions emerged from their mutual sensibility and a shared passion for exploring the choices trail-blazing women must make. The production company strives to create innovative ways to engage a wide audience with history. Their films are unique, cinematic and inspiring.