X
- 2023
- 1 h 46 m
- 2023
- 1 h 46 m
Summary Assange remains a remand prisoner at U.K.'s maximum security Belmarsh Prison as he appeals an extradition order to the U.S. where he could face 175 years in prison for his role in the release of classified U.S. diplomatic files.
Directed By: Ben Lawrence
Written By: Ben Lawrence
- 2023
- 1 h 46 m
- 2023
- 1 h 46 m
Ithaka
55
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
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Summary Assange remains a remand prisoner at U.K.'s maximum security Belmarsh Prison as he appeals an extradition order to the U.S. where he could face 175 years in prison for his role in the release of classified U.S. diplomatic files.
Directed By: Ben Lawrence
Written By: Ben Lawrence
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
55
33% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
50% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
17% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
55
33% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
50% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
17% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Ithaka shows us how time and experience have lent perspective to it all, affectingly focusing on Assange’s elderly father John Shipton, and Assange’s fiancee Stella Moris (now his wife), who have doggedly fought for Assange’s rights as an investigative journalist and publisher.
You won’t find much ambiguity on these subjects in the documentary Ithaka, directed by Ben Lawrence and produced by Assange’s half-brother, Gabriel Shipton. Unsurprisingly, it’s totally Team Julian.
Shipton is a fascinating character – abrupt, ill at ease with the voracious press attention, but also possessed of a sharp, unusual intelligence that tends to veer off at jarring tangents.
Ithaka isn’t as effective an advocacy doc as it could be, sometimes feeling trapped between wanting to intellectualize with onscreen text and contextualized history and looking for observational moments that crystallize the pain and concern for the Assange family.
Laura Poitras’s 2017 documentary “Risk” was a close-up portrait of Assange, shot during his early years of infamy and as fascinating, in a squirmy way, as Assange himself. “Ithaka” is less about the man than the cause — how the continued prosecution of Assange fits into the issue of free speech. It’s a more morally clean-cut watch. But it’s a lot less dramatic.
The documentary repeats three monotonous points: Journalists lie. Regardless, Assange is a journalist who deserves protection. Also, his family misses him a heck of a lot.
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Production Company
Shipton House
Release Date Mar 3, 2023
Duration 1 h 46 m
Genres
Awards
Capricorn Film Festival, Australia
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Australian Writers' Guild
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Millenium Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
