Seeking answers to a heinous crime

Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, arrives before a screening of the documentary movie "The Dissident" by director Bryan Fogel at the 16th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) in Zurich, Switzerland, 2 October 2020 (photo: REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann)

Did the Saudi state plan the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi? Was Khashoggi so much of a threat to the Saudi regime that it was prepared to commit a terrible crime to get rid of him?

This documentary reconstructs Jamal Khashoggi’s personal plans and movements in his final days. It also examines records, leaks and reports related to his assassination, as well as motivations that may have led Saudi Arabia to commit such a shocking crime.

The film’s key feature is exclusive testimony from Khashoggi’s close circle, including from his fiancee Hatice Cengiz. She tells of her emotional struggle in dealing with his death; hoping against hope he was still alive despite accounts of how he was killed; the struggle to discover his fate; and the pain of not knowing where his body is.

The documentary also uncovers how the Saudi government handled the incident, including the attempts it made to cover up the story. In London, Washington, Istanbul and Montreal, the film visits and speaks with Khashoggi’s friends, security experts, analysts and activists.

The events surrounding Khashoggi's killing and the assassination itself are reconstructed in re-enactments and with aerial photographs, graphics and animations, including archive footage.

In the words of one official close to the case, UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard: "There is credible evidence that requires further investigation into the involvement of senior Saudi officials in the crime, including the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself."