Who Is Julian Assange and Why Did Surfing Sensation Kelly Slater Narrate His Documentary?

“The Trust Fall: Julian Assange”! This documentary was released last year, but have you happened upon it? Well, you must have, as it was narrated by the legendary Kelly Slater, the king of the waves boasting an impressive 11 world surfing titles. And guess who else lent their voices to this riveting documentary? Pink Floyd frontman, Roger Waters, and the rapper, M.I.A. But pause for a moment, amidst all this star power, who exactly is Julian Assange?

Julian Assange is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist, most notably known as the founder of WikiLeaks in 2006. His journey into the limelight began at a young age, with early recognition in the 1990s as one of Australia’s most adept h*kers. However, his focus shifted towards creating a platform dedicated to revealing information for the sake of transparency and holding powerful individuals and institutions accountable. WikiLeaks became well known for releasing a vast amount of confidential documents, videos, clandestine emails, and private conversations involving influential people.

In 2019, Julian Assange’s legal troubles escalated when the U.S. government accused him of espionage. They claimed he helped a U.S. Army intelligence analyst hack into a Pentagon computer and leak secret information. This led to a complex and high-stakes legal battle, resulting in his imprisonment at London’s Belmarsh Prison since 2019. However, as of June 24th, his 62-month sentence has been completed, and he was released today.

Inspired by Julian Assange’s journey, filmmaker Kym Staton created a documentary that delves deep into Assange’s life and controversies. But why did professional surfer Kelly Slater, a figure far removed from politics, narrate this story? How is a surfer connected to a whistleblower’s tale?

What made Kelly Slater the perfect voice for Assange’s story?

In 2023, Kelly Slater expressed strong support for Julian Assange in an Instagram post, stating, “He [Assange] put out information people didn’t want being put out but it was all truthful and I don’t know how you fault a guy for putting out the truth.” This endorsement caught the attention of filmmaker Kym Staton, who saw in Slater a passionate advocate for truth and transparency.

Staton decided to bring Slater on board to narrate the documentary about Assange. He explained, “Having a professional surfer sportsperson may seem like a strange choice for a political film, however, please bear in mind that this film aims to educate a very wide audience about the important issues surrounding the Assange predicament, and one of the best ways to reach a wider audience is through role models and people with a large following and fan base who might otherwise never take the time to watch a political film. ”

By involving diverse figures like Kelly Slater, Staton aimed to leverage their influence to highlight Assange’s story to new and broader audiences, making it a strategic and marketing move to reach people from various walks of life.him