A shocking true story comes to the screen this week in Amazon Prime Video film The Mauritanian, starring The Serpent’s Tahar Rahim as a wrongly accused terrorist suspect imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay for 14 years without charge.
Directed by Oscar-winning film-maker Kevin Macdonald, the drama – which has been nominated for Best Film at the upcoming BAFTAs – opens two months after the tragic deaths of almost 3,000 people in the 9/11 terror attacks.
As the US seeks justice against those involved, engineer Mohamedou Ould Slahi (played by Rahim) is seized by authorities in his home country of Mauritania, in West Africa.
Accused of being a key recruiter for the deadly al-Qaeda attack, he is taken to Guantánamo Bay, the US’ military detention centre in Cuba, and subjected to brutal interrogation and torture as investigators try to force him into making a confession.
LEGAL BATTLE
When his situation comes to the attention of US criminal defence lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster), she volunteers to represent Mohamedou in court and prove the US government lacks evidence to detain him.
‘Nancy feels like it’s her mission and her duty to uphold the Constitution and that everybody deserves a defence,’ explains Foster, 58, who has already won a Golden Globe for her performance as Hollander.
This story is from the March 27, 2021 edition of TV & Satellite Week.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 27, 2021 edition of TV & Satellite Week.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Culture vultures
Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder take a tour of Italy's art and architecture
Attack of the clones
Krysten Ritter and Keeley Hawes star in a sci-fi spin-off
Fooling THE FEDS
How a fake movie helped Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton escape the FBI
Mersey mystery
Troubled teens and pushy parents are caught up in a Liverpool-set whodunnit
Prize idiots
Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan return to host the TV bash
Doctor Who CONFIDENTIAL
Showrunner Russell T. Davies reveals all the secrets in our insider's guide to the new series
Across the universe
The TARDIS lands in the Swinging Sixties as the Doctor and Ruby meet The Beatles in the thrilling new series
Cruel intentions
Nazi guard Stefan Baretzki exerts his power over Lali and Gita...
Night of SHAME
How ticketless thugs caused carnage at the Euro 2020 final
Lessons in love
Romance is on the curriculum at Abbott Elementary