Director uses divisive WikiLeaks founder to explore the wider freedom of the press
‘The Six Billion Dollar Man’
Dir: Eugene Jarecki. US/Germany/France. 2025. 123mins
Is Julian Assange a crusading independent journalist or a dangerous threat to national security? The Six Billion Dollar Man argues for the former, viewing the Australian WikiLeaks founder as a champion for information in a world in which governments strive to conceal the truth. Eugene Jarecki’s documentary provides a comprehensive overview of Assange’s rise to prominence and US attempts to prosecute him for publishing confidential military materials. But the film ultimately works better as a conversation-starter about the freedom of the press than as a layered portrait of the controversial activist.
Never gives its fascinating subject the close-up he deserves
Initially planned for a Sundance premiere, The Six Billion Dollar Man was pulled in December by Jarecki, who cited “significant recent and unexpected developments” in the story that required him to rethink the final work. Now playing in Cannes as a Special Screening, the film (like fellow festival entry, Raoul Peck documentary Orwell : 2 + 2 = 5) should provoke interest among politically-minded audiences incensed by the lack of government transparency.
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