Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £4.99 a month
Letters from Baghdad
Tilda Swinton narrates the extraordinary journey of Gertrude Bell, a singular woman who played a significant – often unrecognised – role in British imperial policy making in Iraq.
Documentary 2016 91 mins
Director: Sabine Krayenbühl
Overview
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.
Reflecting on the life, work and character of this remarkable woman, Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum weave together a rich tapestry of fascinating archive alongside Bell's writings, letters to her parents voice by Tilda Swinton, 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.
brief images of dead bodies, suicide referencesAccessibility
Related
Documentary
Man on Wire Man on Wire
Documentary 2007 94 mins Director: James Marsh
James Marsh's excellent, Oscar®-winning documentary account of the 'artistic crime of the decade'.
A Deal With The Universe A Deal With The Universe
Documentary 2018 92 mins Director: Jason Barker
This extraordinarily intimate documentary from Jason Barker tells the inspiring tale of a very different kind of pregnancy.
Real Boy Real Boy
Documentary 2016 72 mins Director: Shaleece Haas
A 19-year-old trans man navigates family, friendships, and the challenges of young adulthood.
Who's Gonna Love Me Now? Who's Gonna Love Me Now?
Documentary 2016 86 mins Director: Tomer Heymann
A heartfelt exploration of one man’s struggle to reconcile with his Israeli family, while finding a new ‘family’ in London Gay Men’s Chorus.
Dressed as a Girl Dressed as a Girl
Documentary 2015 101 mins Director: Colin Rothbart
An in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at London’s finest drag performers. Warning: extreme use of make-up and glitter.
Chemsex Chemsex
Documentary 2015 80 mins Director: William Fairman
A hard-hitting and often graphic documentary about the 'chemsex' sub-scene in London’s gay community.
British Cinema
Radio On Radio On
Road movie 1979 100 mins Director: Chris Petit
Chris Petit's cult classic is one of the most striking feature debuts in British cinema – a haunting blend of edgy mystery story and existential road movie.
Bronco Bullfrog Bronco Bullfrog
Drama 1969 87 mins Director: Barney Platts-Mills
A fascinating record of 1960s suedehead youth culture which is largely improvised by a non-professional cast of teenagers from east London
Central Bazaar Central Bazaar
Drama 1975 142 mins Director: Stephen Dwoskin
Five strangers explore their fantasies over a period of five days in Stephen Dwoskin's remarkable experimental film.
Bread Bread
Drama 1971 68 mins Director: Stanley A. Long
A fun tale of hippies and rock and roll directed by the legendary Stanley Long and featuring cult British rock bands Juicy Lucy and Crazy Mabel.
Shell Shell
Drama 2012 87 mins Director: Scott Graham
In a remote part of Scotland, teenager Shell develops an intense relationship with her reclusive father.
My Brother the Devil My Brother the Devil
Drama 2012 107 mins Director: Sally El Hosaini
Sally El Hosaini's feature debut tells of the love and disenchantment of two British-Egyptian brothers. Gangs, drugs and sexuality come between them
Featuring Tilda Swinton
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon
Biopic 1998 87 mins Director: John Maybury
Derek Jacobi and Daniel Craig star as artist Francis Bacon and his muse George Dyer in John Maybury’s darkly exquisite biopic.
Play Me Something Play Me Something
Drama 1989 69 mins Director: Timothy Neat
Tilda Swinton stars in a playful and ingenious cine-essay on the art of storytelling, from art critic John Berger and filmmaker Timothy Neat.
Caravaggio Caravaggio
Biopic 1986 93 mins Director: Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman’s unique biopic of the 17th century Italian artist Michelangelo da Caravaggio is a powerful meditation on sexuality, criminality and art.
New
Glassland Glassland
Drama 2014 93 mins Director: Gerard Barrett
Toni Collette’s visceral performance as an alcoholic, dependent on her devoted son (Jack Reynor), anchors this powerful Irish drama.
Bait Bait
Drama 2018 89 mins Director: Mark Jenkin
Simmering tensions between locals and newcomers in a modern-day Cornish fishing village reach boiling point in this hugely acclaimed British independent film.
Man on Wire Man on Wire
Documentary 2007 94 mins Director: James Marsh
James Marsh's excellent, Oscar®-winning documentary account of the 'artistic crime of the decade'.
Twilight's Last Gleaming Twilight's Last Gleaming
Thriller 1977 144 mins Director: Robert Aldrich
Burt Lancaster stars as the Air Force general who seizes control of a nuclear stockpile to force the US President (Charles Durning) to tell the truth about the Vietnam war, in Robert Aldrich's thunderous political thriller.
White God White God
Drama 2014 121 mins Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Winner of the 2014 Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes, a bold and visceral tale of canine uprising.
The White Reindeer The White Reindeer
Horror 1953 68 mins Director: Erik Blomberg
The wife of a reindeer herder acquires a potion to makes her an irresistible object of desire, but at a terrible cost, in this extraordinary vampiric fairy-tale set amongst the starkly beautiful fells of Finnish Lapland.