(PRWEB) May 27, 2004 -- "The Letter" chronicles the turmoil predominately white Lewiston, Maine faces when 1,100 former Somali refugees relocate there en-masse in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy – referred to as the “Somali invasion” by the international news media.
"LA Weekly" calls "The Letter" “…a thoughtful, historically grounded and utterly absorbing look at a quintessential American experience”. "Variety" hails it as “…an especially dramatic work of polemical reportage on racism in America…A study of the American dream in collapse.”
"The Letter": A firestorm of controversy erupts when the Lewiston mayor sends an open letter to the Somali community asking them to tell friends and family not to move into the city. The conflict escalates into competing “hate” and “peace” rallies held simultaneously and separated by only a few miles. The “hate” rally staged by Reverend Matt Hale’s World Church of the Creator, a white separatist group, and a “peace” rally organized by the Many & One Coalition, a local community group, necessitates the largest police action in Maine’s history to ensure the safety of the city’s residents.
Premiering at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival in November 2003, "The Letter" was the Opening Night Feature at the 2004 Amnesty International Film Festival, was nominated as Best Documentary at the 2004 Pan-African Film Festival, was featured on NPR'S "Here and Now", and has been written about in numerous AP wire stories.
For more information about "The Letter" contact: Bert Brown at 860-434-0309; bert@hamzehmystiquefilms.com.
Or visit "The Letter Official Website: www.HamzehMystiqueFilms.com/TheLetter