The Correspondent: An Arresting True Story Of A Journalist’s Ordeal In Egypt

The Correspondent is a powerful Australian produced political drama directed by Kriv Stenders, which depicts the dangers journalists face when travelling to third world countries reporting on current events.

This is the true story of Award-winning Australian journalist Peter Greste who travelled to Egypt in 2013 to report on the Arab uprising and was arrested for allegedly being a member of a terrorist organisation, inciting fear and attempting to smear the reputation of Egypt.

“I’m just a journalist from BBC filling in for a colleague for 3 weeks,” he said in his defence, but without confirmed accreditation this fell on deaf ears.

He became caught in a political struggle and what followed was time spent in hellish jails – dehumanising places where self-pity had no value.

Would he survive with his sanity intact while waiting for his trial? He was innocent of the charges, but is innocence taken in consideration in these courts where evidence is fabricated and where his only crime was to be a journalist?

It says a lot about the Egyptian judicial system where corruption filters right through to the top office and the shocking revelation that Greste’s own counsel was jailed for treason.

This is a stirring and intense drama, probably more so because it’s a true story. Richard Roxburgh portrays Peter Greste a man who was detained for doing his job and who became a pawn in a brutal political game.

Roxburgh delivers a compelling performance and heads a talented multi-cultural cast of actors whose participation compounds to the harsh reality of the story.

The backstory is told through flashbacks, an element in the storytelling process which successfully keeps audiences engaged in the present while filling in all the past details which are mandatory to the narrative.

The differences between the Australian and Egyptian judicial systems are clearly highlighted and audiences should leave cinemas pondering an underlying caution; there is just so much the Australian government can do to aid citizens who find themselves in judicial situations in third world countries.

A disturbing notation appears at the conclusion of this very significant movie; 1700 journalists have been killed worldwide to date whilst doing their job and a staggering 779 journalists were jailed in 2023.

The Correspondent is a tribute to these very courageous people who risk their lives keeping people informed on world events.

The Correspondent

****

In Cinemas from April 17