Darien Library To Host Documentary Screening, Discussion With Filmmakers

The documentary, a work-in-progress, will screen at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 11, at the Darien Library. The film tells the story of Gertrude Bell, a spy and diplomat who left the confines of Edwardian England to seek freedom and independence in the Arabian desert and became the most powerful woman in the British Empire, representatives said.

"In the aftermath of World War I, (Bell) drew the borders of Iraq, installed its first king, and founded the Baghdad Museum of Antiquities," according to a release. "Bell left behind a rich cache of letters and photographs that document her extraordinary experiences in the Middle East in the early 20th century and reveal a complex woman grappling with the challenge of making her mark in a world being rapidly transformed by major political and social events."

Oelbaum and Krayenbuhl will discuss how the film, the first feature-length documentary on Bell, explores "the choices that trail blazing women almost always have to make, and specific to Bell, how circumstance and personality came together to create a woman who turned her back on comfort and privilege in the pursuit of knowledge, power and the passion for making a difference," according to the release.

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