China Åhlander – Chinema Film Sweden

22 okt – 20:00	Malmö	Smygpremiär på DocLounge på Babel	Info & Biljetter
23 okt – 19:00	Göteborg	Smygpremiär på DocLounge på Skeppet	Info & Biljetter
25 okt – 17:30	Stockholm	Biopremiär nationellt, samtal efter visning på Folkets bio Zita	Info & Biljetter
26 okt – 15:30	Malmö	Samtal efter visning på Panora	Info & Biljetter
26 okt – 16:30	Lund	Samtal efter visning på Kino	Info & Biljetter
27 okt – 15:30	Helsingborg	Samtal efter visning på Röda kvarn	Info & Biljetter
28 okt – 19:00	Visby	Visning på Bio Betty	Info & Biljetter
28 okt – 21:00	Stockholm	Visning på Bio Zita	Info & Biljetter
29 okt – 18:30	Växjö	Samtal efter visning på Palladium, Folkets Bio	Info & Biljetter
29 okt – 20:45	Stockholm	Visning på Bio Zita	Info & Biljetter
30 okt – 18:40	Lund	Visning på Kino (sal 2)	Info & Biljetter
31 okt – 15:45	Malmö	Visning på Panora	Info & Biljetter
31 okt – 18:15	Stockholm	Visning på Bio Zita	Info & Biljetter
1 nov – 18:00	Göteborg	Samtal efter visning på Hagabion, Folkets bio	Info & Biljetter
3 nov – 16:00	Uppsala	Samtal efter visning på Fyrisbiografen	Info & Biljetter
4 nov – 14:30	Västerås	Samtal efter visning på Elektra Bio	Info & Biljetter
4 nov – 18:00	Västerås	Samtal efter visning på Elektra Bio	Info & Biljetter
5 nov – 13:00	Stockholm	Visning på Bio Zita	Info & Biljetter
6 nov – 17:00	Lund	Visning på Kino	Info & Biljetter
7 nov – 15:00	Stockholm	Visning på Bio Zita	Info & Biljetter
7 nov – 16:00	Växjö	Visning på Palladium, Folkets Bio	Info & Biljetter
17 dec – 19:00	Borås	Samtal efter visning på Borås Bio, Röda Kvarn	Info & Biljetter

Filmen ”The Dear John Letter” är en sällsynt stark skildring av män som vågar bryta tystnaden om sexuella övergrepp. Filmen fångar smärtan, skammen, skulden, konflikten i att bevittna och att stå utanför, känna sig utanför och inte förstå vad som pågår. Den speglar den djupa ensamheten som många burit i tystnad, men också den otroliga styrkan i att öppna upp, mötas och att prata om sin egen upplevelse. Genom att belysa en nästan osynlig historia lyfter den fram vikten av gemenskap, stöd och hopp, även i de mörkaste stunderna. Ett viktigt vittnesmål som berör, stärker och inspirerar till samtal som kan förändra liv.

Anette Birgersson, leg psykoterapeut med lång erfarenhet av att arbeta både med personer som utsatt andra för sexuella övergrepp och de som själva har blivit utsatta

Info

Visningar och Samtal

Scenes from THE DEAR JOHN LETTER

Frank_Nick_THE_DEAR_JOHN_LETTERBill_Watts

Bill_Frank_THE_DEAR_JOHN_LETTER_©Alan_Mair_230320

Premiere at the Swedish cinemas Oct, 25th.

Follow the film on Facebook to get info about where and when!

facebook.com/TheDearJohnLetter

A distressing letter on facebook is the catalyst for filmmaker Bill Watts to reunite with the friends he has avoided for more than 30 years. Dark secrets from the past are explored and a cathartic process develops as the old group of friends come to terms with the consequences of what happened to them in their teens.

Dear John Letter is a rare and powerful portrayal of men who dare to break the silence about sexual abuse. The film captures the pain, shame, guilt, and the conflict of witnessing and being on the outside, feeling excluded and not fully understanding what is happening. It reflects the deep loneliness many have carried in silence, but also the incredible strength in opening up, connecting, and speaking about their own experiences. By shedding light on an almost invisible story, it emphasizes the importance of community, support, and hope, even in the darkest moments. A vital testimony that touches, strengthens, and inspires conversations that can change lives.

Anette Birgersson, Licensed Psychotherapist, with extensive experience working with both those who have committed sexual abuse and those who have been victims themselves.

CREDITS

with
Clayre O‘Brien
Frank Mair
Lawrence “Lol” Ford
Nick Feinberg
Bill Watts

Director & DOP Bill Watts
Editors Sascha Fülscher, China Åhlander & Bill Watts
Sound designers Hans Christian Arnt Torp & Claus Lynge
Composers Lawrence Lol Ford & Svante Lodén
Colorist Maciej Sanki Sankowski
Produced by China Åhlander

In co-production with Film i Skåne
In collaboration with Bill of Sweden AB
With the financial support from The Swedish Film Institute
& The Swedish Arts Grants Committee

International premiere still available

Characters in the Dear John Letter

Bill

The director of the film Bill Watts is an old friend of all of the characters in the film. Bill is a freelance filmmaker DoP/cameraman since 1999 and is based in Malmö, Sweden. He has edited and filmed documentaries for amongst others; Swedish national broadcasters- SVT, TV4 and TV8. Two of the feature documentaries he has filmed for other directors have been awarded with the Golden Whistle award 2018 and the New Nordic Voice Award, 2019.

Clayre

Bill hadn’t seen Clayre since their teens in North London before they met up to film for the first time in 2015. They grew up in the same area and got to know each other as 13 years old and hung around with the same group of close friends up until around 1981. Clayre wrote the Dear John Letter that inspired the making of the film.

Frank

Frank was one of Bill’s best friends during their teenage years and they have only seen each other very sporadically since the early eighties. Back in the day they rode motorbikes off-road, briefly played in a band together, smoked their first joint together and went on several holidays together with each other’s families.

Nick

Nick went to the same junior school as Bill and they played football together with a bunch of other local kids who had nothing better to do. During their teenage years Bill and Nick hung around in the same group of friends who gate crashed parties and got up to all sorts of crazy stuff. Bill lost contact with Nick around 1982.

Lol (Lawrence)

Bill got to know Lawrence who lived at a friend’s flat where a group of friends frequently hung out, when Bill was around 17yrs old. Lol who is a couple years older than Bill was always playing in different bands but they also lost contact around 1982.

Year of production: 2024
Duration: 99 min
Technical info: colour, 16:9, 5.1 & stereo
Subtitles: English