Mr Hugh Grosvenor - His Grace the Duke of Westminster

Grosvenor Estate

30 January 2017

Dear Sir,

We the undersigned write to you in our collective capacity as members of the film making and
production community to kindly request usage of Grosvenor Square (W1K 2KR) for an outdoor film
screening to be held on Sunday 26th February 2017. We shall be seeking the relevant event
permission from Westminster City Council in this regard.

As you may be aware, on 28th January the President of the United States of America enacted an
unprecedented executive order immediately halting all refugee admissions to the US, and
suspending admission to anyone arriving from seven Muslim-majority countries - Iraq, Syria, Iran,
Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen for a minimum period of 90 days.

This move has been roundly condemned by all major international institutions working in the fields
of universal human rights and civil liberties including the United Nations, the International Rescue
Committee and Amnesty International.

As one (individual but highly symbolic) consequence of this ban, the Academy award winning film
Director Asghar Farhadi - an Iranian national - will no longer be given permission to enter the US to
attend the Academy Awards Ceremony on 26th February in support of his Academy Award
nominated film “The Salesman”.

As an open expression of peaceful civic protest at this critical time, we wish to screen Mr Farhadi’s
film in Grosvenor Square; directly opposite the United States Embassy building. We believe it is our
duty as members of the London film making community, in a city renowned for its values of
tolerance, compassion and multi-culturalism to make an important public expression of protest to
the United States government that will resonate nationally and globally.

We wish to hold an event in solidarity with Mr Farhadi himself, but crucially, with the many
thousands of innocent people who will now be negatively impacted and harmed by a policy of
outright discrimination such as this.

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We would of course employ an esteemed professional public events company to manage the event
safely, efficiently and securely, and adhere to all stipulations relating to health and safety,
environmental upkeep and residential noise considerations.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Julie Christie Joanna Natasegara Catharine Bray (Film4)

Dominic West Sarah Gavron Sarah Mosses

Kiera Knightly Peter Webber Charlie Phillips (Head of

Documentaries - Channel 4)
Terry Gilliam Aymen Hamdouchi
Andrea Luka Zimmerman
Ridley Scott Martha Fiennes
Negede Assefa (Rich
Jonathan Pryce CBE Giannina Facio
Mix Cinemas)
Kevin Macdonald Jemima Goldsmith
Joanna Brooks (London
Clio Barnard Robert Delamere Short Film Festival)

Glenn Close Mark Donne Carla MacKinnon

Noomi Rapace Jonas Åkerlund Ivana MacKinnon - Film

Producer
Joshua Oppenheimer Georgina Townsley
Fiona Fletcher (Birds Eye
Mike Leigh Alison Owen
View Film)
Michel Apted Julia Charteris (United
Sienna Guillroy
Agents)
Carol Morley
Enzo Clienti
Andrea Arnold OBE
Lily Cole
Elizabeth McIntyre (Director
Nick Broomfield
Alison Poltock (East End – Sheffield Doc Fest)
Film Festival) Priscilla Igwe
Kirsten Geekie (Into Film)
Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard Peter Bradshaw