The trailer of ‘The Fifth Estate’, which charts the rise of WikiLeaks, has been released and met with sharp condemnation from the organization. WikiLeaks has slammed the film as misleading and a “propaganda attack” on the whistleblowing institution.
The movie trailer, which bears all the hallmarks of a Hollywood
blockbuster, was released on Wednesday. It charts the rise of
WikiLeaks from a small, poorly-financed project to the discloser
of the largest leak of classified data in history.
"The Fifth Estate" trailer has just been released. Don't be fooled. It implies we gave Iran nukes and killed 2,000 http://t.co/9xs1f0T8il
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 17, 2013
WikiLeaks called on the movie-goers over Twitter not to be fooled
by the film, claiming it implies the organization “gave Iran
nuclear weapons and killed 3,000 people.” They said that
their comments were based on a copy of the script used for
filming that they had obtained.
The script itself is based on Daniel Domscheit-Berg's book
‘Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's
Most Dangerous Website,’ as well as Guardian writers David Leigh
and Luke Harding's ‘WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on
Secrecy.’
Our comments are based on the script used during filming, not, as the dir Bill Condon falsely states an old script (though we have them too)
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 17, 2013
British actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Julian Assange,
has already been praised by critics for his performance as the
founder of WikiLeaks. However, the actor, to his own admission,
said Assange had asked him personally not to accept the role.
"Wouldn't you rather it's someone who has your ear, who could
steer the film to a place that's more accurate or balanced?"
Sherlock Holmes star Cumberbatch told New York Magazine,
professing to be an admirer of the WikiLeaks founder.
WikiLeak’s reactions hark back to comments made by Assange back
in January when he criticized the film as a "massive
propaganda attack" in a video link to Oxford University
students.
“How does this have anything to do with us? It is a lie upon
lie," he said. "The movie is a massive propaganda attack
on WikiLeaks and the character of my staff,” said the
whistleblower.
The film’s director, Bill Condon, begs to differ and maintains it is “in no way an anti-WikiLeaks movie.”
“It does tell the story of its rise and how it came apart to a
certain degree, but it's also not in any way a movie that intends
to malign him,” Condon told New York Magazine.
During the production of the film he issued a statement, saying
his movie does not claim any long view authority on its subject
or attempt any final judgment.
Julian Assange currently resides in the Ecuadorian Embassy in
London where he has been holed up for over a year. He is unable
to set foot outside the building as the UK police have pledged to
arrest him in compliance with a Swedish extradition order.
Assange is wanted for questioning in the Scandinavian country on
allegations of sexual assault.
However, the WikiLeaks founder claims this is a front to hand him
over to the US where a secret court case is being prepared
against him for disseminating thousands of classified US
government cables.