The Dissident

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bryan Fogel directs. James Leche cuts. Produced in Turkey, United States of America. Dialogue in Arabic, English, Turkish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 6 years ago.
• 2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Arabic, English, Turkish.
• 3International production across 2 countries: Turkey, United States of America.
• 4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
• 5Editor James Leche shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Jamal Khashoggi and Omar Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "The untold story of the murder that shook the world.".
• 8IMDB entry: tt11382384 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Editing

James Leche

Runtime

119 min · 1h 59m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Box office

$57,000

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

PG-13

IMDB

The Dissident (2020) ↗

Also by

Bryan Fogel

• 
  Icarus

  2017 · ★ 7.6
• 
  Icarus: The Aftermath

  2022 · ★ 6.0
• 
  Jewtopia

  2012 · ★ 4.7

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  THE DISSIDENT | Official Trailer | Coming Soon

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots2021-03-09
  ★ 6/10

  The grisly murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and the subsequent cover-up by the Saudi government is explored in “The Dissident,” a complex and detailed documentary from director Bryan Fogel. Through CCTV footage, social media history, interviews with Jamal’s family and friends, and unprecedented access to video evidence from Turkish police, the film gives an insider look at the why and how of the crime. Fogel includes such a large volume of information in his documentary that it feels unfocused, as he tries to tackle too much in one sitting. Khashoggi was outspoken about his homeland of Saudi Arabia, and the government didn’t take to kindly to what they saw as his rebellious ideas for reform. The journalist was never afraid to speak his mind despite the cyber attacks, threats, and dangers he faced for doing so. He ultimately sacrificed everything for his freedom of speech. The lengths at which those in power in the Saudi government would go to silence dissidents is shocking and frightening, including creating a literal social media army to discredit anyone who disagreed. An estimated 80% of Saudis use Twitter, and social media has a high importance to those living in the Kingdom. The film criticizes this censorship of free speech and draws the conclusion that Khashoggi was killed because of it. The documentary jumps around a lot, and the story is all over the place. There’s an arc that follows Jamal’s fiancée Hatice Cengiz and her fight to piece together clues as to what really happened, a woman who is doing all she can to see that justice is served. Another section features interviews with Jamal’s right hand man Omar Abdulaziz about their plan to collaborate on several social media projects. The most intriguing parts of the film, at the risk of sounding totally morbid, is the true crime story. The interviews with Turkish officials are alarming, and that those likely responsible for ordering the murder haven’t been punished is infuriating. I wish “The Dissident” had been tighter overall, and I think a smaller-scale story would’ve made a better movie. But this sprawling tale of the power of technology, tyranny, love, and murder is one that’s intriguing and will leave you furious and ready to take action. By: Louisa Moore

  Read full review ↓
• rsanek2021-09-21
  ★ 9/10

  Really well-done film. I saw the news stories but watching this does a good job of making you pause and realize how absolutely crazy it is that a state can just decide to straight murder somebody, and it's not even on their own soil. I agree that it is also insane that the Saudis can just decide to hack the richest man in the world, all with software designed and sold by a company in what's supposed to be a first-rate democracy, Israel. I appreciated that Fogel, while making sure to put his name prominently in the credits, never featured on camera (it's not even clear if he's the one talking in some of the interviews / back-and-forths). I find that sometimes documentary filmmakers can get a bit egotistical and fall prey to grating self-promotion.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Diamond Docs

  US

• 

  Human Rights Foundation

  US

• OR

  Orwell Productions

Key crew

• Camera OperatorRoss McDonnell
• ProducerMark Monroe
• ProducerJake Swantko
• ProducerBryan Fogel
• ProducerThor Halvorssen
• EditorJames Leche
• EditorScott D. Hanson
• EditorAvner Shiloah
• EditorWyatt Rogowski

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• jamal khashoggi
• جمال خاشقجي
• المملكة العربية السعودية

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2020-01-23· Sundance Film Festival
• Theatrical (limited)2020-12-25PG-13
• Digital2020-12-18PG-13

Also known as

International titles

• 持不同政见者CN
• 持不同意见者CN
• El disidenteES
• 异见者CN