More often than not, an internationally known freedom fighter will have a personality and temperament as heroic as the actions that made him famous. Just look at Nelson Mandela, Alexei Navalny, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or — as controversial a figure as he remains — Edward Snowden, who for 10 years has conducted himself as a profile in courage. But there are times when the personal and the political don’t sit so easily in the same person.
Julian Assange is one of those people. From the moment he launched WikiLeaks, the renegade website that provided an anonymous home for journalists and whistleblowers to spill the secrets and dump the documents of global power, there was an air of absolutism about him, a bombs-away belief in the rightness of his actions that teetered, at times, into anarchistic recklessness. Assange, like Snowden, exposed important revelations about how governments, in particular the government of the United States,...
Julian Assange is one of those people. From the moment he launched WikiLeaks, the renegade website that provided an anonymous home for journalists and whistleblowers to spill the secrets and dump the documents of global power, there was an air of absolutism about him, a bombs-away belief in the rightness of his actions that teetered, at times, into anarchistic recklessness. Assange, like Snowden, exposed important revelations about how governments, in particular the government of the United States,...
- 3/4/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
The story of Julian Assange has never been too far from the headlines. The WikiLeaks founder reaped the whirlwind after it leaked a slew of US documents in 2010, including footage from a Baghdad airstrike in which civilians and journalists were shown to be targeted by US forces, via The Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel. As the US began an investigation, Sweden issued an international arrest warrant for Assange – something which brought him even further into the news spotlight as he sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
These historical elements are present in Ben Lawrence’s documentary – explained via intertitles and illustrated by reportage from the time – but he largely approaches this story not via Assange himself, but from the point of view of his father John Shipton and then-fiancée Stella Moris (the pair wed this March) as, following his exit from the Embassy and...
These historical elements are present in Ben Lawrence’s documentary – explained via intertitles and illustrated by reportage from the time – but he largely approaches this story not via Assange himself, but from the point of view of his father John Shipton and then-fiancée Stella Moris (the pair wed this March) as, following his exit from the Embassy and...
- 7/6/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
From his Belmarsh wedding to his skateboarding round Ecuador’s embassy, Ithaka tells the story of the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition battle, through the eyes of his hard-campaigning father
The poem Ithaka, written in 1911 by the Greek writer Constantine Cavafy, opens with the lines: “As you set out for Ithaka / hope that your journey is a long one / full of adventure, full of discovery.” It has given a new documentary about Julian Assange both its title and, in many ways, its theme. The film follows Assange’s 76-year-old father, John Shipton, on his own long and winding road to try to save his son from US jail on espionage charges, resulting from the state secrets revealed by WikiLeaks, the organisation Assange founded.
The film – made by Australian director Ben Lawrence and produced by Gabriel Shipton, Assange’s brother – is released in Britain at a crucial stage in the journey. Two weeks ago,...
The poem Ithaka, written in 1911 by the Greek writer Constantine Cavafy, opens with the lines: “As you set out for Ithaka / hope that your journey is a long one / full of adventure, full of discovery.” It has given a new documentary about Julian Assange both its title and, in many ways, its theme. The film follows Assange’s 76-year-old father, John Shipton, on his own long and winding road to try to save his son from US jail on espionage charges, resulting from the state secrets revealed by WikiLeaks, the organisation Assange founded.
The film – made by Australian director Ben Lawrence and produced by Gabriel Shipton, Assange’s brother – is released in Britain at a crucial stage in the journey. Two weeks ago,...
- 6/30/2022
- by Duncan Campbell
- The Guardian - Film News
Australian film maker Gabriel Shipton wants his new documentary “Ithaka”, which will have its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival on Sunday, to shine a new perspective on his brother, the polarizing Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange.
“It’s a story that’s never been told before,” Shipton, who produced the film, told Variety. “We’ve learned Julian’s story through media headlines, but I wanted to tell this story through his family. To explore the human side that people haven’t seen.”
“Ithaka” begins in April 2019 when the images of Assange, arrested and dragged from the Ecuadorian embassy in London were splashed across screens worldwide. From there writer-director Ben Lawrence (“Hearts and Bones”) focuses on Assange’s 76-year-old father John Shipton, and Assange’s former secret fiancée, Stella Moris. They have spent the past two years relentlessly campaigning for Assange’s release, while trying to assemble some normality into...
“It’s a story that’s never been told before,” Shipton, who produced the film, told Variety. “We’ve learned Julian’s story through media headlines, but I wanted to tell this story through his family. To explore the human side that people haven’t seen.”
“Ithaka” begins in April 2019 when the images of Assange, arrested and dragged from the Ecuadorian embassy in London were splashed across screens worldwide. From there writer-director Ben Lawrence (“Hearts and Bones”) focuses on Assange’s 76-year-old father John Shipton, and Assange’s former secret fiancée, Stella Moris. They have spent the past two years relentlessly campaigning for Assange’s release, while trying to assemble some normality into...
- 11/4/2021
- by Katherine Tulich
- Variety Film + TV
Ben Lawrence’s feature documentary Ithaka follows Julian Assange’s father, John Shipton, as he fights to free his son.
The film begins with Assange’s arrest from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and using Julian’s extradition hearing as a framework, charts an intimate story of a family’s crisis.
It is produced by Gabriel Shipton, Julian’s brother, and features music from Brian Eno.
Ithaka makes its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, where it will compete for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award. Lawrence previously won the prize in 2018 for his film Ghosthunter.
The post ‘Ithaka’ (Trailer) appeared first on If Magazine.
The film begins with Assange’s arrest from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and using Julian’s extradition hearing as a framework, charts an intimate story of a family’s crisis.
It is produced by Gabriel Shipton, Julian’s brother, and features music from Brian Eno.
Ithaka makes its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, where it will compete for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award. Lawrence previously won the prize in 2018 for his film Ghosthunter.
The post ‘Ithaka’ (Trailer) appeared first on If Magazine.
- 10/28/2021
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Sydney Film Festival has announced the films to compete for the Documentary Australia Foundation (Daf) Award for Australian Documentary, with a 12-strong line-up to mark the prize’s 12th anniversary.
The winning film will be presented with $10,000 at the festival’s closing night in November.
All docs were selected for the festival’s original August date, but the move to later in the year means a number of the films, such as Sbs’s Australia Uncovered projects Strong Female Lead, The Bowraville Murders, The Department and Incarceration Nation, will have broadcast already. Others, like Gracie Otto’s Under the Volcano, are in digital release.
Its a challenge for the festival to grapple with, but given the disrupted nature of this year, it may still be first chance for many of the filmmakers to have their work screen in front of a live audience.
And, notably, there is still a world...
The winning film will be presented with $10,000 at the festival’s closing night in November.
All docs were selected for the festival’s original August date, but the move to later in the year means a number of the films, such as Sbs’s Australia Uncovered projects Strong Female Lead, The Bowraville Murders, The Department and Incarceration Nation, will have broadcast already. Others, like Gracie Otto’s Under the Volcano, are in digital release.
Its a challenge for the festival to grapple with, but given the disrupted nature of this year, it may still be first chance for many of the filmmakers to have their work screen in front of a live audience.
And, notably, there is still a world...
- 9/1/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
A trio of music icons and a legendary racehorse are among the subjects of 10 projects to receive $2.3 million in documentary production funding from Screen Australia.
Of the those earmarked for funding, eight will be supported through the Producer Program, and two through the Commissioned Program.
They include feature documentaries about John Farnham, Ruby Hunter, and Archie Roach, as well as racehorse Winx.
There is also a follow-up to the 2016 documentary Embrace, entitled Embrace Kids.
Screen Australia head of documentary Alex West said an “impressive mix” of projects had rounded out the agency’s documentary funding for 2019/20.
“It’s great to support so many feature documentaries covering a range of exciting topics, including shining a light on a number of Australian icons, and I’m confident they will captivate audiences,” he said.
The Commissioned Program projects are:
Nurses: A 10-part series from ITV Studios Australia for the Seven Network about the nurses in Nsw.
Of the those earmarked for funding, eight will be supported through the Producer Program, and two through the Commissioned Program.
They include feature documentaries about John Farnham, Ruby Hunter, and Archie Roach, as well as racehorse Winx.
There is also a follow-up to the 2016 documentary Embrace, entitled Embrace Kids.
Screen Australia head of documentary Alex West said an “impressive mix” of projects had rounded out the agency’s documentary funding for 2019/20.
“It’s great to support so many feature documentaries covering a range of exciting topics, including shining a light on a number of Australian icons, and I’m confident they will captivate audiences,” he said.
The Commissioned Program projects are:
Nurses: A 10-part series from ITV Studios Australia for the Seven Network about the nurses in Nsw.
- 7/13/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
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