“The Six Billion Dollar Man,” a new documentary from Eugene Jarecki about Julian Assange, will no longer premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January as “recent and unexpected developments” have occurred that make it impossible for the movie to be completed on time. The Sundance-winning “House I Live In” filmmaker revealed on Friday that the film has been withdrawn so he can properly finish it before it premieres.
“The truth is, significant recent and unexpected developments have emerged at the heart of the story which, if not incorporated in the version for Sundance, would not represent a finished film. Sundance has shaped my career and been a cornerstone of my journey—only something of this magnitude could make me withdraw,” Jarecki explained in a statement.
The film was due to play as a special screening, not in competition, when the festival gets underway at the end of January. Per the Sundance synopsis, the documentary followed Assange facing a possible 175 years in prison for exposing U.S. war crimes and the ensuing case.
Assange was imprisoned in the U.K. from 2019 to 2024, fighting extradition to the U.S. the entire time. The U.S. government charged Assange with violating the Espionage Act. He’s currently in Australia while his family lobbies President Biden for a U.S. pardon for his role in publishing a cavalcade of leaks – dubbed “Wikileaks” – from Chelsea Manning.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival runs from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2.
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