The documentary "The Dissident" - which deals with the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi - faces a mysterious fate, and the film may not find its way to the masses, as distributors are concerned about the wrath of the Saudi authorities.
The British Guardian newspaper published a report on the film's premiere at the "American Sundance Festival", where American director Brian Vogel raised the critics' admiration of the exciting movie that shed light on corruption, cover-up methods and the repercussions of courage and boldness in the real world, as the newspaper described.
The newspaper described the assassination of the Saudi journalist as tragic, which sparked the interest of many about the film, in addition to the track record of the American director who made a movie whose future seemed promising.
The fate of Hassan Minhaj
Vogel said after the premiere of the film that he hoped that the strong pressure machine that Riyadh uses throughout the world will not affect its spread, noting that it is a dream that distributors will stand up to the influence of Saudi Arabia.
The newspaper pointed out that after a month of display at the Sundance Film Festival, it is not clear whether distributors will be able to stand up to the winds of influence of the Saudi lobby.
Until the present moment, the filmmakers are still "discussing options" to conclude the appropriate deal to show the film, amid fears from the film's fans that the fate of an episode of "Patriot Act" presented by comedian Hassan Minhaj will be presented on the Netflix platform. After a Saudi complaint, that episode was deleted. That touched on the assassination of Khashoggi from the digital platform.
International inaction
"It is extremely important to draw attention to the continuing absence of justice in relation to the assassination case of Jamal Khashoggi. Despite the first international protests in the aftermath of his murder, the necessary measures have not yet been taken to impose sanctions," said the director of the UK office, Reporters Without Borders, Rebecca Vincent. Tangible to Saudi Arabia for this horrific crime, or for the wider climate of press freedom in the country, in which at least 33 journalists are protested.
Vincent hopes, "Failed governments will not hesitate to take more strict stances regarding these troublesome violations, as the story of Jamal deserves to be published. After a year and a half of the death of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the exact events that led to his death remain a mystery."
The newspaper reported that the assassination of Khashoggi was a reaction to the criticism of the columnist in the Washington Post for the regime, and many parties, including the CIA, claim that Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman cannot be ignorant of plans to silence Khashoggi.
Vogel directed his focus in the film on Saudi efforts to control and control the voices opposing his regime at the international level as much as his focus on exposing those who ordered the killing.
The newspaper quoted what was reported by Vogel, who made it clear to the public after the premiere, that he "hopes that the" dissident "movie will make other countries, their governments and businessmen re-evaluate the relationship that binds them with Saudi Arabia until it takes measures to reform its system."