‘Assassins,’ Documentary About Murder of Kim Jong-un’s Half Brother, Picked up by Greenwich Entertainment
Greenwich Entertainment has picked up North American rights to director Ryan White’s Sundance documentary “Assassins.”
The film is a jaw-dropping exposé of the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Given unprecedented access to the key players and previously undisclosed evidence, the film questions every angle of this murder, from human trafficking to high-level political espionage to the inner dynamics of the North Korean royal family.
“Assassins” made its world premiere to rave reviews during the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Greenwich Entertainment plans to release the film in theaters on December 4.
“Like most people, we had seen the headlines of this brazen political murder. But in making ‘Assassins,’ we were repeatedly shocked to find how bizarre, deep and twisted the truth really is,” White (“Ask Dr. Ruth,” “The Keepers”) said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with Greenwich in bringing this unbelievable story to audiences.”
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In 2017, Kim Jong-nam was assassinated in broad daylight at a crowded Malaysian airport. The brazen murder was caught entirely by security cameras with footage showing two young women approaching Jong-nam from behind and covering his eyes with their hands. He stumbled away and was dead within an hour.
The two women, who had never met, claimed they had been hired for a video prank show and had no idea what they were actually doing. Despite their claim, they were arrested and charged with murder. Imprisoned in a foreign land and facing execution, the young women begged for authorities to believe their story.
From the sanctums of Pyongyang to the rice fields of Indonesia and Vietnam to the courtrooms of Kuala Lumpur, “Assassins” investigates the real story of Kim Jong-nam’s murder and the two women fighting for their lives.
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“Ryan is one of the leading documentary filmmakers working today and Assassins is one of the strongest documentaries of the year,” Greenwich’s Andy Bohn said in a statement. “Ryan deftly peels back the personal and political layers in this jaw-dropping exposé and audiences will be astonished.”
“Assassins” was produced by Jessica Hargrave and Ryan White. Executive producers are Doug Bock Clark, Blaine Vess, Esther Vess, Dan Cogan, and Geralyn White Dreyfous. Greenwich’s Bohn negotiated the acquisition with Submarine and William Morris Endeavor representing the filmmakers.
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