NEW YORK (September 2, 2020) – THE DISSIDENT, a new feature film directed by Academy Award-winning director Bryan Fogel and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) released its theatrical trailer today.
The film exposes the labyrinth of deceit behind the high-profile murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
“The Dissident denounces the complicity, the silence, the apologists, and the cowards who have failed to act in the aftermath of Jamal’s execution,” said Agnès Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions. “The Dissident is an irrepressible moral plea for human rights and human dignity.”
Featuring never before seen surveillance footage and unprecedented access to a wealth of other damning information previously unavailable to the public, The film weaves together a story of courage, money, power, tyranny, love, and technology run amok.
At the film’s core is Khashoggi himself, a principled reformer who sought to create a more just and open society in his homeland, and who was ultimately murdered for his vocal opposition to the Saudi government. An unflinching look at a massive international coverup, the film illustrates that in today’s world, no one who dares to challenge powerful forces is truly safe.
“This film is a chilling illustration of what results from unchecked power,” says Thor Halvorssen president of HRF. “It shines a powerful light on the darkness of authoritarianism. Dictatorships are undone by public exposure and we are committed to take this story across the world, enlisting the partnership of the general public and civil society across the political and ideological spectrum to hold MBS and his henchmen accountable.”
Following the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to rave reviews, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired the film for US domestic distribution and is planning a theatrical and VOD release in late 2020 along with other events to coincide with the second anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. HanWay Films will handle international sales of the film.