Documentary Style
TopicalThe Dissident
The assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the global cover-up that followed. A chilling look at authoritarian power, state surveillance, and the silencing of dissent.
Year
2020
Type
film
Runtime
119 min
Language
English
Director
Bryan Fogel
Genres
Summary
On October 2, 2018, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get a marriage license. Fifteen Saudi agents were waiting.
From Oscar-winning director Bryan Fogel, the film traces how Saudi Arabia tracked Khashoggi through Pegasus spyware planted on his close friend's phone. Through Turkish government evidence, CIA intelligence findings, and access to Khashoggi's fiancée, the film exposes the full machinery of authoritarian suppression. When it premiered at Sundance to a standing ovation, not a single distributor made an offer. The industry's silence became part of the story.
A chilling examination of press freedom, state surveillance, and what happens when authoritarian power reaches across borders to silence dissent.