NEW YORK (December 9, 2020) тАУ THE DISSIDENT, a new feature film directed by Academy Award-winning director Bryan Fogel and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), will arrive on streaming platforms for viewers to rent or own beginning January 8, 2021. Briarcliff Entertainment, the filmтАЩs distribution partner, has also announced a limited national theatrical release on Friday, December 25.
The film exposes the labyrinth of deceit behind the high-profile October 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. 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.
тАЬTHE DISSIDENT is a chilling illustration of what results from unchecked power,тАЭ said HRF president Thor Halvorssen. тАЬIt shines a powerful light on the darkness of authoritarianism. Dictatorships are undone by public exposure and we are committed to taking 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.тАЭ
The feature documentary film premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020. Since then, sold-out screenings at the Zurich Film Festival, the Stockholm International Film Festival, Aspen Filmfest, SCAD Savannah Film Festival, DOC NYC, and other top festivals have confirmed the filmтАЩs status as one of the yearтАЩs most promising releases.
What Critics Are Saying
тАЬEdge of your seat intrigue. Riveting. A thriller of staggering relevance. This is a movie with just about everything.тАЭ
тАУOwen Gleiberman, Variety
тАЬCompletely shocking and gripping. Thriller paced. Like the best of journalismтАж needs to be seen by as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.тАЭ
тАУNick Allen, RogerEbert.com
тАЬA searing, slickly filmed deep dive.тАЭ
тАУAlissa Wilkerson, Vox
тАЬCompelling. A propulsive cinematic thriller.тАЭ
тАУAnthony Kaufman, ScreenDaily
тАЬChilling. Visual and dramatic.тАЭ
тАУSteve Zeitchik, The Washington Post
тАЬImmaculately assembled. Both a documentary and a real life thriller. A massively damning non-fiction work. Fogel fashions a shadowy international tale of intrigue. It deserves to be seen widely.тАЭ
тАУJake Coyle, AP
тАЬFirst rate. Riveting. Vigorous, deep and comprehensive. Tragic, maddening and poignant. The evidence is all here for the world to see.тАЭ
тАУTodd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
тАЬOne of the most important films of the last decade.тАЭ
тАУAlec Baldwin
Where To Watch
THE DISSIDENT will be released in select U.S. theatres on Christmas Day. For updates on these locations, subscribe here.
Following the theatrical release, THE DISSIDENT will be available on January 8th, 2021 to rent or own via Amazon, Apple TV, Verizon, iTunes, Comcast, ATT, DIRECTV, Dish, Spectrum, Frontier, Fandango Now, Vudu, and Redbox On Demand.
Briarcliff Entertainment is handling all U.S. domestic distribution for THE DISSIDENT, and HanWay Films is representing the film for international sales. For interview requests or media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
