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An elderly Kenyan woman stands accused of being a witch in this engrossing, eye-opening documentary.

Ninetysomething matriarch Margaret Kamango enjoys an unassuming existence, working on her farm in rural Kenya – that is, until the day she receives a message from a relative accusing her of practising witchcraft. This is a charge that, in her conservative community, puts both her life and livelihood at risk, and soon becomes the subject of a heated family battle over authority and inheritance.

Almost a real-life counterpart to I Am Not a Witch (MIFF 2017), The Letter follows in the footsteps of Margaret’s city-dwelling grandson Karisa as he tries to get to the bottom of the situation and the broader phenomenon of witchcraft allegations in East Africa. Directed by Australian expat Christopher King and Maia Lekow, this film is a moving, at times harrowing investigation into the interplay between cultural traditions, colonisation and religious beliefs.

“An effective, emotionally intimate debut feature … The Letter sets out to unpick the reasoning (or lack thereof) behind [a] bizarre national epidemic.” – Variety An elderly Kenyan woman stands accused of being a witch in this engrossing, eye-opening documentary.

Ninetysomething matriarch Margaret Kamango enjoys an unassuming existence, working on her farm in rural Kenya – that is, until the day she receives a message from a relative accusing her of practising witchcraft. This is a charge that, in her conservative community, puts both her life and livelihood at risk, and soon becomes the subject of a heated family battle over authority and inheritance.

Almost a real-life counterpart to I Am Not a Witch (MIFF 2017), The Letter follows in the footsteps of Margaret’s city-dwelling grandson Karisa as he tries to get to the bottom of the situation and the broader phenomenon of witchcraft allegations in East Africa. Directed by Australian expat Christopher King and Maia Lekow, this film is a moving, at times harrowing investigation into the interplay between cultural traditions, colonisation and religious beliefs.

“An effective, emotionally intimate debut feature … The Letter sets out to unpick the reasoning (or lack thereof) behind [a] bizarre national epidemic.” – Variety