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Assange movie debuts this weekend

Portrait of the hacker as a young man

Video Julian Assange continues to insist that Australia's government has done him no favours, but his nation of birth has supported his cause in one, indirect, way.

Screen Australia, the Australian federal government’s national movie-funding-and-promotion agency, is one of the key production finance investors for the Australian-made biopic, Underground, that traces the WikiLeaks founder’s formative years as a teenage hacker.

The film will make its international debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday night.

A second screening on Monday will be accompanied by extended Q&A with cyber security and crime adviser to governments and enterprises , Ron Deibert. Deibert is the director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs.

Underground, adapted from the book written by Suelette Dreufus on Assange’s early days, is one of just five Australian films selected for screening by the festival. Screen Australia is therefore chuffed, with CEO Ruth Harley saying “It is exciting to see Underground recognized by a major international festival like Toronto. This compelling, high-quality thriller will provide audiences with an engaging and iconic Australian story."

Australian Network Ten, which commissioned the drama has started a teaser campaign for the local screening of Underground which is expected to be broadcast shortly after TIFF. The trailer for the film is below.

Assange remains ensconced in the Ecuador embassy in London where he attempting to avoid arrest and extradition to Sweden. We've no idea if anyone plans to smuggle him a DVD of the flick. ®

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