Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie

A film about one of the world’s greatest writers and his struggle to survive and hold on to hope.

While on stage at a literary event in New York State, celebrated author Salman Rushdie was brutally attacked with a knife. The attack marked the culmination of more than 30 years of living under threat, after Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Rushdie when his novel Sataniske vers (The Satanic Verses) was accused of insulting Islam. Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney traces Rushdie’s journey from his hospital bed, bearing severe physical and psychological wounds, back to life and writing. The film is a compelling portrait of a great writer’s fight for freedom of expression, and of the consequences the fatwa had for Rushdie and those around him.

Det kritiske rom (The Critical Room)

After the film, we invite you to a discussion on freedom of expression and the current status of the Nygaard case, with author Odd Isungset and former NRK correspondent Annette Groth. The discussion will be held in Norwegian.

Odd Isungset – Journalist, author and documentary filmmaker. He has been editor of Dokument 2 and Brennpunkt, and has written three books and made a number of documentaries about the Nygaard case. His work has, among other things, helped lead to the case being reopened. He has received the Den store journalistprisen, Fritt Ords honnør, SKUP-diplom, Ossietzkyprisen and Subjektprisen for his work.

Annette Groth – Journalist, correspondent and author with a long career at NRK. From 1991 to 2000, she was NRK’s correspondent in London.

The event is organised in collaboration with Norsk PEN.