Los Angeles Times

The Afghan feature film 'A Letter to the President' depicts the fearlessness required of a woman who stands up to men and tradition

The men conspire as the woman awaits execution.

The fate of Soraya is the fierce center of "A Letter to the President," a film from a female Afghan director that explores patriarchy and tribal justice in a nation battered by suicide bombers and generations of war. A married woman and a police chief, Soraya is an inspiration to feminists and a threat to the cruel designs of a male-dominated culture.

The feature film, which will be shown at this month's Palm Springs International Film Festival, was directed by Roya Sadat with an unsettling power that explores

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