This 2-part factual series begins on April 11th, 2019, when images of Julian Assange being arrested from the Ecuadorian embassy in London are beamed across the world.
Since that moment Julian has been silenced and into the void have stepped lawyers, advocates, and supporters. Standing unique among them is Julian’s fiancée, Stella Moris and 76-year-old father, John Shipton – a self-taught builder from Sydney.
Not what he was expecting in his retirement years, John launches into a relentless schedule traversing Europe, engaging in countless press interviews, meeting politicians, and engaging with supporters in street protests, in an effort to help his son.
As the international media descend, Ithaka tracks Julian’s fiancée Stella Moris, through her journey from Julian’s ‘secret family’ to a fierce public advocate for Julian and press freedoms.
It also follows John & Stella as they rally members of the public, advocate to politicians and cautiously step into the media’s glare – where they are forced to enter the fray and confront perceptions with the actual implications of Julian’s incarceration.
The film culminates in early 2021, when the UK verdict to extradite Julian to America collides with a pandemic and an explosive US presidential election.
Using Julian’s extradition hearing as a framework, 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.
Production credit: A Shipton House Production. Principal production funding from Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria. Written and Directed by Ben Lawrence. Produced by Gabriel Shipton and Adrian Devant. Executive Producer Roger Savage. Original Music by Brian Eno. ABC Manager of Documentary Stephen Oliver. Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
