by Reuben Stojanovic-Rowe
“It’s all coming to a pivotal moment.”
The court decision that is holding the life of whistleblower, journalist, activist, Australian, husband and father Julian Assange in the balance.
The name would be familiar to many, but it has been largely forgotten in the current news landscape.
A fact that filmmaker Kym Staton firmly believes is intentional.
“There’s not enough coverage in the mainstream media of his situation. There is a real media blackout, even though he is fighting for their [journalist’s] profession. He’s in their corner. But the majority of journalists are scared of him.”
Assange made international headlines by demonstrating that journalists have the ability to rattle the cage of even the most powerful governments. However, this came at a price, with Assange relentlessly pursued by these governments and branded a criminal.
Founding the groundbreaking media Wikileaks, responsible for leaking classified US government documents, leading to a warrant for his arrest. There were genuine concerns about his potential extradition to the United States. He was held under the protection of the Ecuadorian Embassy in the United Kingdom until 2019, detained by authorities and held in Belmarsh Prison, where he is currently residing to hear the verdict for his extradition. Obviously, there is so much more to this story that could fill an entire documentary, which is where Staton’s film comes into play.
“This film updates everybody on the latest situation, but most importantly, goes into the meaning and the interpretation of what has happened [to Assange].”
Staton admits that The Trust Fall: Julian Assange will not be an easy watch.
“It’s a very emotionally intense film. It’s normal for people to cry numerous times in the film. People are shocked, disgusted. To go into this spectrum of tragedy of the story as well as the shock and disgust of the way Julian has been treated. It’s a very heavy film for people.”
Fitting considering the drama unfolding for Assange and the journalism profession.
“We’re seeing a decline in press freedom globally. Over 500 journalists are being detained globally, which is the highest number ever seen. There are numerous signs of our decay in free speech. And it’s up to everyone to do something about it because it will get worse.”
With a case that spans close to thirteen years, it is easy to not be fully caught up on the whole story, especially the latest pivotal developments in Assange’s case. Staton aims to eliminate all the confusion.
With the film, “we wanted to lay it all out in a clear way. Organising it all in a very straightforward way. It’s designed to give a relatively quick summary of what it’s all about. It’s quite educational.”
Impressively, this fact-filled documentary is Staton’s first feature-length documentary, previously pursuing a career in music. Driven by the urgency of what he believed to be an innocent man facing unfair prosecution and the violation of fundamental rights, Staton decided to pick up the camera.
“I didn’t have any interview experience prior. Literally, the first one I ever did was Julian’s father John Shipton.”
Staton’s fortune in speaking with closely related people in the Assange case proved to be a huge win for the documentary, but he admits it did offer some challenges. At the beginning, he was a completely unknown director; no one knew his purpose or allegiance to Assange. They weren’t just going to give up their time to a complete stranger about their imprisoned friend / sibling / colleague / husband.
“It was a lot of networking, asking other people, but once I interviewed a couple of people and there was a bit of awareness about my intentions and the film, it started to get a bit easier.”
Staton knew he was onto something once he got the attention of Assange’s then-girlfriend, now wife Stella, who happened to come across the project and shared it on Twitter.
“That was a turning point. She invited me to Julian’s 51st birthday in London…. where I met a whole bunch of people including one of our narrators: the UK rapper M.I.A.”
Apart from Stella Assange, the film also features Assange’s brother Gabriel, political activist Tariq Ali and many others. The biggest coup for Staton however, was the chance to speak to a legend of free speech: the late Daniel Ellsberg, the famous whistleblower of the 1971 Pentagon Papers.
“To get to interview him was such a pleasure and he was so generous with his time. He had so many great insights which are in the film, so it was great to hear his perspective because it has so many interesting connections to this case.”
Daniel Ellsberg passed away at 92 on June 16th, 2023.
Dealing with such a potentially convoluted story, Staton felt it was imperative to get creative with the documentary format to make an impact.
“The film is not a strict chronological timeline. We do have a timeline chapter. The second chapter of the film does summarise his story and that’s designed to get everyone up to speed. But we devote the rest to what it all means, what we can learn from this situation. What was the contribution to Wikileaks, why are they so aggressively going after him and persecuting him? And what do we do to solve the situation? How can we get his freedom?”
Staton is especially excited to see how a certain section of the film that he describes as ‘very experimental’ will play out to audiences.
“Something I realised, coming from a musical background, when you perform, you’re utilising the silence a lot. Silence is part of the music. And I realised I can use silence within the film. I hope when that moment comes, you’ll actually hear the reactions of the audience in a cinema. And that’s also a big part of the experience of cinema. You’re aware of the crowd and their response.”
It is evident that Staton wants this film to influence change to not only Assange’s situation but the future of the journalism profession.
“We hope that people will be inspired to take some kind of action. Writing a letter to their local MP, signing a petition, writing a letter to Julian in prison (there’s a website for it). Or joining a protest. Telling people about the film and educating their friends and talking about it.”
According to Staton, the main aim for his film is to increase awareness, which will hopefully build public pressure to force politicians into action. “We need this issue to become an election issue in Australia. And in the US; for (President) Biden to be aware of the growing pressure, to do the right thing and free him.”
Amidst Assange’s unanswered pleas for help, the unrelenting pursuits of his extradition by the United States and the denial of his latest legal appeals, the prospects for his freedom appear increasingly grim.
“There are multiple possibilities of what could happen at this point. At the moment, we’re waiting for the UK courts to announce a date for the public hearing, which is the last appeal. That could be very short notice. Journalists can enter and it may go as long as half an hour. If the appeal is denied, then the Assange campaign can contact the European Court of Human Rights and try to get their assistance to block the extradition.”
Whatever happens, it is widely agreed that he will not be given a fair trial. Even famous US legal adviser Steven Donzinger, known for his legal battles against energy company Chevron, said at a ‘Free Assange’ rally, “The narrative about Assange is a complete fraud from A – Z.”
“It’s a political case,” according to Staton. “Julian’s lawyers agree that it will not be solved through legal proceedings. The judicial farce and the case against him is a fraud. It’s kind of pacified the masses, convincing them that there is some legitimacy to this case. It’s presented as a prosecution but it’s actually a persecution.”
Awaiting the release of the film that he has been tirelessly working on for over two years, there is a lot riding on The Trust Fall: Julian Assange. For Staton, if it can make just a little bit of difference, then it would’ve all been worthwhile.
“My main motivator is to do justice to the sacrifice and bravery Julian has made to benefit all of the citizens of the world.”
Staton believes that the combination of voices will be critical to see justice finally served. “If someone makes a book or a song or a beautiful painting or writes an article, it adds to the awareness. As long as Julian Assange needs help, this film will be there for him as a campaign tool and educational resource.”
The Trust Fall: Julian Assange is rolling out in cinemas around Australia from 25 January 2024
