The Letter (2003 film)

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2003 American film

The Letter:
An American Town and
the "Somali Invasion"

Directed by| Ziad Hamzeh
Written by| Ziad H. Hamzeh
Produced by| Ziad H. Hamzeh
Bert Brown
Paul F. Harron, Jr.
Marc Sandler
Starring| Citizens of Lewiston, Maine
Edited by| Ziad H. Hamzeh
Franco Sacchi
Distributed by| Arab Film Dist.

Release dates

* November 13, 2003 (2003-11-13) (AFI)
* January 15, 2005 (2005-01-15)

Running time

| 76 minutes
Country| United States
Languages| English
Somali

The Letter: An American Town and the 'Somali Invasion'  is a 2003 documentary directed by Ziad Hamzeh. It was filmed in the town of Lewiston, Maine.

## Synopsis

[edit]

In October 2002, former mayor of Lewiston Laurier T. Raymond wrote an open letter addressed to leaders of the Somali immigrant community, predicting a negative impact on the city's social services and requesting that they discourage further relocation to the town. The letter angered some persons and prompted various community leaders and residents to speak out against the mayor, drawing national attention. Demonstrations were held in Lewiston, both by those who supported the immigrants' presence and those who opposed it. In January 2003, a small white supremacist group demonstrated in the city in support of the mayor, prompting a simultaneous counter-demonstration of about 4,000 people at Bates College and the organization of the "Many and One Coalition".

## Reception

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The film premiered at the 2003 American Film Institute film festival and was chosen as The Amnesty 2004 festival opener. It received very positive reviews including an endorsement and high recommendation from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The film garnered numerous awards and accolades including the Independent Spirit Award from Boston. It continues to be shown across the globe especially nowadays when issues of immigration and refugee resettlement are once again ignited by the various wars around the world.

## See also

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* History of Somalis in Maine

## References

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* Letter, The: An American Town and "The Somali Invasion"

## External links

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* The Letter: An American Town and the 'Somali Invasion' at IMDb
* The Letter: An American Town and the 'Somali Invasion' (2003) at Rotten Tomatoes

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