In Cinemas from february 5th the documentary on the Abu Omar case produced and distributed by ILBE

January 19, 2024

Link to film images: https://echogroup.drive.fastcloud.it/invitations?share=07cb07b224aa97e06c56

Milan, January 18, 2024 – Ghost Detainee – The Abu Omar Case is the new documentary written and directed by Flavia Triggiani and Marina Loi in collaboration with journalist Luca Fazzo. The film brings to the big screen – starting from February 5th – the legal saga surrounding the 2003 abduction of Milanese imam Abu Omar, marking the first instance worldwide where a CIA state abduction becomes the focus of an investigation by the judiciary of an allied country.

Distributed by ILBE and co-produced in collaboration with In Bloom, Flair Media Production, and La 7, the documentary revisits the abduction through exclusive interviews conducted in Italy, in the United States, and in Egypt. The on-screen participants include, among all: Abu Omar himself, his wife Nabila Ghali, the Public Prosecutor Armando Spataro – who oversaw the entire investigation – the journalists Matthew Cole of NBC News and Sebastian Rotella of the Los Angeles Times. The documentary will present, for the first time, the perspective of Niccolò Pollari, who was the head of Italian intelligence services at the time of the events.

“In our documentaries, we aim to represent all opinions to ensure that the viewer forms their own idea independently. That’s why we decided to directly interview the former Imam Abu Omar in Alexandria, Egypt. We wanted to convey, exclusively from his voice and that of his wife, the narrative of the abduction, imprisonment in Egypt, and the torture he had suffered” comments Flavia Triggiani.

The other co-director, Marina Loi, adds, “This narrative spans from spy story to legal drama, with moments of intense action interspersed with thought-provoking insights. The blend of genres has captivated us—on one side, scenes of abductions and torture worthy of an action film, on the other, ‘universal’ questions about what constitutes the right behavior in extreme cases such as post-9/11.”

“With Ghost Detainee, ILBE continues its commitment to producing high-quality documentaries intended for an informed audience,” said Andrea Iervolino, CEO of the ILBE Group. “Following the success of The Walls of Bergamo, presented in competition at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival and winner of the Best Italian Documentary DPA Award at the Turin Film Festival, we have embarked on this new adventure, in which we have great belief. This film sheds light on a controversial story, and we are confident it will provoke reflections and debates.”

The documentary revolves around a “universal dilemma”: how far can a democratic state go? To what extent can actions be justified in the name of “reasons of state”?