Cannes – A new documentary, The Six Billion Dollar Man, is prompting a reevaluation of the Julian Assange narrative, arriving amidst a dramatic shift in his legal status. directed by Eugene Jarecki and produced by Kathleen Fournier (known for The House I Live In), the film explores the controversy surrounding the WikiLeaks founder, presenting a case that a sustained propaganda campaign was waged against him.
The filmmakers themselves approached the subject with evolving perspectives. Jarecki initially admired Assange for exposing institutional corruption but later felt he had “betrayed” him, while Fournier entered the project acknowledging allegations of sexual assault and 2016 election tampering – claims Assange denies.This led them to view the film as an effort to “unpack and realy understand the mythology that went into this entire saga,” Fournier stated at a THR Frontrunners screening.
The Six Billion Dollar man combines archival footage with interviews from individuals involved in assange’s case, detailing his asylum in Ecuador until 2019, his subsequent conviction for violating the U.K. Bail Act, and imprisonment in the United Kingdom. Production was complicated by rapidly changing events; the filmmakers were initially preparing for a Sundance premiere when news broke of a plea bargain and Assange’s impending release. They swiftly recut the film to incorporate this development, ultimately debuting it at Cannes.
The documentary features new information regarding the legal battles against Assange, aiming to challenge existing perceptions. Jarecki acknowledged that Assange remains a polarizing figure but emphasized the importance of focusing on the impact of WikiLeaks. “Whether one finds him prickly, whether he’s a dick, whether he’s lovable, I could care less from the perspective of what he’s done with his personhood,” Jarecki told the Frontrunners audience. “WikiLeaks was, at the end of the day, a safe haven for people to be able to tell us what we need to know about what their institutions are doing. Like him or not, [Assange] gave years and years of his life and would’ve kept giving years – if he hadn’t kicked America’s ass.”
During production, Fournier revealed that assange’s team expressed fears of suicide should he be extradited to the U.S., adding to the urgency felt by the filmmakers to complete and release the film.
