EP 526: Director Bryan Fogel Unravels the Jamal Khashoggi Assassination

Academy Award-winning director Bryan Fogel (Icarus) discusses his gripping new documentary thriller The Dissident about the 2018 execution of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul. He discuss how Jamal Khashoggi went from being an insider in the Saudi royal family to a harsh critic of the House of Saud, how a sophisticated cyber hack and the ultimate Twitter war put Khashoggi squarely in the cross hairs of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (aka MBS), and what he learned from friends, allies, and the fiancé of the late Saudi dissident. Bryan reveals why no major Hollywood film distributor or streaming service would even touch his movie (despite the widespread acclaim for The Dissident), he explains how Saudi Arabia’s massive sovereign wealth fund turns dollars into censorship, and calls out everyone from major US corporations to President Donald Trump for cowering and kowtowing to Mohammed bin Salman. We talk about the gruesome audio of Jamal Khashoggi’s execution that emerged shortly after his death, who may have been responsible for those recordings, and whether MBS may finally suffer consequences for this brutal murder once President-elect Biden takes office.

The Dissident is currently showing in select theaters, and available on paid video on demand starting January 15. Visit www.thedissident.com for showtimes and information, help support the Human Rights Foundation at www.hrf.org, and follow Bryan on Twitter at @bryanfogel.