"The heart-rending personal story of Assange’s family’s battle to free him."

—Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

ithaka

Directed by Ben Lawrence

111 minutes | SDH captions | Scene Selection

Famous political prisoner Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, has become an emblem of an international struggle over freedom of the press, government corruption, and unpunished war crimes from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now, with Julian facing a 175 year prison sentence if extradited to the US, his family members are confronting the prospect of losing Julian forever to the abyss of the US justice system. This David-and-Goliath struggle is personal.

Weaving historic archive and intimate behind-the-scenes footage, ithaka tracks the journey of Assange's father, John Shipton, alongside Julian's wife, Stella Moris, as they join forces to advocate for Julian's release. We witness John embark on a European odyssey to rally a global network of supporters, persuade politicians, and cautiously step into the media's glare — where he is forced to confront events that have made Julian a global flashpoint.

Filmed over two years across the UK, Europe and the US, ithaka provides a timely reminder of the global issues at stake in this case, as well as an insight into the personal toll inflicted by the arduous, often lonely task of fighting for a cause bigger than oneself.

Ithaka is now available on DVD with public performance rights for purchase and rental by schools, libraries, and other organizations. Academic streaming can be licensed from Docuseek. Campus and community groups interested in hosting a community screening can book now through Bullfrog Communities.

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“Ithaka persuasively argues that Julian Assange's psychological torture is designed to terrify and silence others who might dare to reveal abuses by global powers, but instead of portraits showing frightened people keeping their distance, we find close-up views of family and others refusing to back away in fear as they support Assange and embrace him and his cause. This is an intimate portrait of a difficult fight for the freedom to tell the truth. If there was a calculation that Assange will be forgotten, Ithaka rebels against any such complacency as it stirs renewed calls to end Julian Assange's torture and imprisonment. This film will be indispensable in any class exploring problems of 21st century democracies and attacks on the freedom of expression and the press.”

—David H. Price, Professor of Anthropology, Saint Martin's University, Author, The American Surveillance State

“The persecution of Assange establishes a precedent that will not only allow the powerful to keep their crimes secret but will even make the revelation of such claims punishable by law. Let us not fool ourselves: once telling the truth has become a crime we will all be living in a tyranny.”

—Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture

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Bullfrog Films is the oldest and largest publisher of documentary films about the environment in the United States. We define "environment" broadly, and our catalog includes programs on ecology, energy, agriculture, indigenous peoples, women's studies, environmental justice, international relations, sustainable development, anthropology, economics, ethics, and conflict resolution.