Cannes: Julian Assange seen wearing 'Stop Israel' T-shirt, promotes documentary

Julian Assange made an appearance at the Cannes Festival to promote the documentary by Eugene Jarecki, an American filmmaker, wearing a T-shirt listing the names of children killed in Gaza during a photo session on Tuesday.

Although the 53-year-old former hacker is not giving interviews at the moment, his wife, Stella Assange, mentioned that he would speak publicly when he feels ready.

She also shared that they now enjoy a life close to nature in Australia, describing her husband as someone who has always loved the outdoors. His physical and mental health has significantly improved, Stella, a Spanish-Swedish lawyer, told AFP.

Assange was released from a high-security prison in the UK last June following a plea agreement with the U.S. government regarding WikiLeaks' publication of classified military and diplomatic documents.

Prior to his release, Assange had spent five years behind bars fighting extradition from the UK, and seven years living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he sought political asylum, Hindustan Times reported.

Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, who directed The Six Billion Dollar Man, said his documentary aims to present a more accurate picture of Assange, acknowledging that the WikiLeaks founder remains a divisive figure due to his actions and personality.

Jarecki expressed his belief that Assange knowingly put himself at risk to uphold the principle of informing the public about what corporations and governments around the world are doing in secret. He added that anyone willing to sacrifice years of their life for their beliefs could be seen as possessing heroic qualities.

The documentary includes personal footage provided by Stella Assange, who first became involved with WikiLeaks as a legal advisor and later had two children with Julian Assange during his time in the Ecuadorian embassy, AFP reported.

The film also presents accounts from individuals involved in spying against Assange, including a private security contractor who claimed he installed listening devices in the embassy that were accessed by U.S. intelligence services.

Additionally, the documentary features appearances by former Baywatch actress and longtime supporter Pamela Anderson, whistleblower Edward Snowden, and Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson.

Jarecki responded to some of the criticisms directed at Assange, particularly the claim that WikiLeaks put lives at risk by releasing unredacted U.S. documents containing the names of individuals who had spoken with American diplomats, such as informants and human rights campaigners.

He also rejected allegations that WikiLeaks had ties to Russian intelligence in relation to the leak of Democratic Party emails before the 2016 U.S. presidential election—emails that caused political damage to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Rafael Correa, Ecuador's former leftist president who granted Assange asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, was expected to attend the red carpet premiere of the film on Wednesday evening.

Jarecki, who previously directed the 2018 Elvis documentary The King, received the first-ever Golden Globe for a documentary at Cannes on Monday.

This year’s Cannes Festival has taken on an especially political tone, with numerous figures from the film industry—including prominent names from Hollywood—signing an open letter accusing Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza.

The letter also condemned the killing of Fatima Hassouna, a young photojournalist from Gaza who appears in the documentary Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk, which debuted at the festival the previous week.