Streaming Platforms ‘Too Afraid’ To Distribute Documentary That Uncovers Saudi Crown Prince’s Role In Jamal Khashoggi Murder
RELATED: Saudi Arabia Acquires $500 Million Stake In Live Nation
The murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi shocked the world in 2018. His persistence and fight for freedom and the truth through his journalistic abilities made him a target, and he was subsequently assassinated most horrifically.
Following his death, director Bryan Fogel made it a mission to tell his story with his explosive Jamal Khashoggi documentary “The Dissident.”
Unfortunately, many major streaming platforms and distributors have steered clear. Many picking profit over justice. HULU, Amazon, HBO, Live Nation, Netflix, and other distributors did not pick up the documentary, which is available on VOD this week. Let’s not forget Live Nation gave a stake to Saudi Arabia for $500M, Hulu, Disney, Netflix all have deals with Saudi Arabia, and Amazon just launched there too. By the way, Jeff Bezos attended a memorial for Khashoggi alongside the late journalist’s fiancée, but didn’t get behind this movie.
“The Dissident” has audio recordings of Khashoggi’s murder, and even touches on Saudi hacking abilities, including the hacking of Jeff Bezos’ phone! Bezos owns the Washington Post, which shared a campaign to get justice for Jamal, Bezos was seemingly supportive which may have seemed like a betrayal to the Saudi Crown Prince.
“Many of the major streamers were actually there that day. Not their heads of content. Their CEOs. I would have hoped that would have led to: ‘We’re going to get behind this film.’ But it didn’t,” said Fogel. “We didn’t have an offer for $1 let alone $1 million — let alone the $12 million paid for ‘Boys State,’ which is a wonderful film, but it’s about 17-year-old boys playing mock politics in Texas.”
“When there’s huge money at stake — business interest, shareholder accountability, what is going to make us vanilla and not cause us stress — is winning over,” Fogel added. “As these companies become bigger and bigger, we’re seeing the choices they make, including content, become less and less risky.”
The silencing of the film mirrors Khashoggi’s death. He fought for the freedom of speech and basic human rights, which is being shut down again by failing to distribute the film.
While speaking on the billionaires in charge of these streaming platforms, Fogel shared his thoughts,
“I do believe that people in positions of power like that, with wealth and resources, if they’re not willing to stand up for human rights abuses like this, for what I consider the greater good of the planet, it becomes an increasingly scary place for us to live,” Fogel says. “We all become less safe.”
Briarcliff Entertainment, the independent distributor founded by Tom Ortenberg acquired the film and isn’t afraid to tell the story.