The Mauritanian

The Mauritanian
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKevin Macdonald
Screenplay by
Story byM.B. Traven
Based onGuantanamo Diary
by Mohamedou Ould Slahi
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAlwin H. Küchler
Edited byJustine Wright
Music byTom Hodge
Production
companies
Distributed bySTXfilms[a]
Release dates
  • 12 February 2021 (2021-02-12) (United States)
  • 1 April 2021 (2021-04-01) (United Kingdom)
Running time
129 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom[3]
  • United States
Languages
  • English
  • French
  • Arabic
Box office$7.5 million[4][3]

The Mauritanian is a 2021 legal drama film based on the memoir of Mohamedou Ould Slahi,[5] a Mauritanian man who was held from 2002 to 2016 without charge in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, a United States military prison. The film was directed by Kevin Macdonald based on a screenplay written by M.B. Traven, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani, adapted from Slahi's 2015 memoir Guantánamo Diary. It stars Tahar Rahim as Slahi, and also features Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Zachary Levi in supporting roles.

The Mauritanian was released in the United States on 12 February 2021 by STXfilms. In the United Kingdom, where all cinemas were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the planned cinema release was cancelled and the film was premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 1 April 2021.[1] It received mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising Macdonald's direction, its cinematography and the performances of the cast (particularly of Rahim and Foster) but criticising its screenplay. At the 78th Golden Globe Awards the film received two nominations; Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (for Rahim), with Foster winning Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture. At the 74th British Academy Film Awards the film received five nominations, including Best Film, Outstanding British Film, and Best Actor (for Rahim).

  1. ^ a b Warner, Sam (19 February 2021). "Benedict Cumberbatch's new movie skips cinemas for Amazon release in the UK". digitalspy. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  2. ^ Rooney, David (12 January 2021). "The Mauritanian: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b "The Mauritanian (2021)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  4. ^ "The Mauritanian (2021)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  5. ^ "'The Mauritanian' Is Based On Guantanamo's 'Forever Prisoners'". NPR.org. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
    # Rose, Steve (26 March 2021). "'We don't live in a world of goodies and baddies, do we?' The true story behind The Mauritanian". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
    # "'I had a lot of offers to play a terrorist or the French boyfriend'". The Irish Times. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
    # Brown, Hannah (6 May 2021). "Kevin Macdonald tells the 'Post' about the man behind 'The Mauritanian'". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
    # Utichi, Joe (11 January 2021). "Jodie Foster Says 'The Mauritanian' Reflects The Residual Effects Of America's Post-9/11 Transformation". Deadline. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
    # "'My characters are drawn to doing the right thing': Jodie Foster on The Mauritanian and 55 years in Hollywood - CBC Radio". CBC. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.


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