THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN

Director Statement

You may think you know the story of Julian Assange. But in truth, much of what the public knows — especially through mainstream media — was choreographed by those in power.

With THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN, I set out to reveal shattering truths behind the Assange saga, but also to examine what it reveals about today’s world, a world increasingly dominated by the very surveillance and out-of-control power he and WikiLeaks once sought to expose.

This is not a film about activism or martyrdom. It’s about what happens when someone threatens the centers of global power. Like him personally or not, that’s what Assange’s did.

My hope is that this film serves as a warning and a provocation. With journalism under attack across the world, the duty to bear witness may no longer rest with institutions, but with individuals.

Directed by

Eugene Jarecki

Across the world, this year has been the most perilous on record for truth-seekers. THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN is a riveting investigation into Julian Assange, a lightning rod of contemporary journalism, whose 2024 release from prison by U.S. authorities has reignited the global debate on press freedom. With unprecedented access and previously unseen behind-the-scenes material, the film spans five continents, weaving groundbreaking new evidence into an international high-tech spy thriller of secrets, espionage, torture, and murder. 

Produced by

Eugene Jarecki

Kathleen Fournier

Still Photos

News & Reviews

The Times

“A gripping portrait of Julian Assange.”

Golden Globes Jury, Award Presentation, Cannes

“Jarecki’s films combine the skills of a journalist with the voice of a poet...balancing penetrating analysis with fearlessness, compassion and empathy.”

Variety

“There’s potential here for grandstanding, but Jarecki tells this tall true story with the same probing, drily enraged authority he brought to his 2005 military-industrial complex doc “Why We Fight” or 2012’s drug-war study “The House I Live In.”

The Hollywood Reporter

“...there’s also plenty of truth-telling. And as Naomi Klein says toward the end of the film, in a simple statement that sums up what WikiLeaks represented back when it was created, and still means right now in our age of rampant misinformation: ‘The truth matters.’”

The Guardian

“It’s rigorous and forensic and covers the ground with aplomb. Jarecki’s army of eye-witnesses run the gamut from Naomi Klein to Pamela Anderson (a fan and frequent visitor) to the former president of Ecuador, while the film’s sprawling crime scene eventually straddles half the globe.”

The Telegraph

“Every outlaw worth their salt should have a price on their head. But Julian Assange’s must surely be the first to have taken the form of a 10-figure International Monetary Fund loan. That, at least, is the not-so-subtle implication of the title of this crisp, persuasive new documentary.”

DEADLINE

“At a moment when democracy is in retreat...[Jarecki’s film] raises the question of whether government by the people and for the people can function if citizens are denied information on what political leaders are doing in their name.”