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Filmed over two years across the UK, Europe and the US, ITHAKA follows 76 year-old retired builder John Shipton's tireless campaign to save his son, Julian Assange.

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WikiLeaks founder and famous political prisoner Julian Assange has become an emblem of an international arm-wrestle over freedom of journalism, government corruption and unpunished war crimes.

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—and, with Julian's health declining in a British maximum-security prison and American government prosecutors attempting to extradite him to face trial in the US, the clock is ticking.

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

111 minutes
SDH Captioned

Directed by Ben Lawrence
Produced by Gabriel Shipton, Adrian Devant
Executive Producer: Roger Savage
Writer: Ben Lawrence
Director of Photography: Niels Ladefoged
Editor: Karen Johnson
Original Music: Brian Eno

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ITHAKA

 

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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


"Timely, essential, and deeply human...This is really powerful stuff."
Andrew Peirce, The Curb


"ITHAKA [is] a powerhouse new feature documentary...This intimate story of a family's crisis traces moments from the trial and its aftermath, underscoring how Julian's story is emblematic of a decade of uncertainty and volatility."
FilmInk


"Intriguing...Shipton is a fascinating character - abrupt, ill at ease with the voracious press attention, but also possessed of a sharp, unusual intelligence...It's a mind, you suspect, that is not dissimilar to that of his son."
Wendy Ide, The Guardian


"Emotional...Affecting...[A] heart-rending personal story of his family's battle to free him."
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian


"Superb film...Assange remains in prison, the US appealing the verdict, and the central issue remains live: both a human being and press freedoms are under assault."
Karl Quinn, The Age


"ITHAKA is a deft look at Julian Assange, his family and supporters...It is fascinating to meet Shipton, a man who so resembles his son they could almost be siblings. Not only are they alike physically, they have the same gift for language with a similar tendency to speak, from time to time, in riddles like an ancient seer...Besides questions of human rights, press freedom and freedom of speech that ITHAKA wants us to consider, there is a fascinating portrait of Julian's father here."
Jane Freebury, The Canberra Times


"In Homer's myth, Odysseus regains his homeland, the Greek island of Ithaka, but there is no end in sight for Julian Assange's odyssey...4 stars."
Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald


"A masterful piece of filmmaking that will impress Assange's supporters as well as those who don't like him...A brilliant reconciliation between politics and art, information and aesthetic beauty."
Livan Garcia-Duquesne, DMovies
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