The Critical Room: A fatwa against freedom of expression
After the screening the conversation «A fatwa against freedom of expression» will be held between Odd Isungset and Annette Groth.
The fatwa against Salman Rushdie affected more than the author himself. Its repercussions were felt around the world. The Japanese translator of The Satanic Verses was murdered in 1991, the Italian translator was stabbed, and in Norway, William Nygaard, the head of the publishing house Aschehoug, was shot and seriously injured outside his home.
After the film, we invite you to a discussion about freedom of expression and where the Nygaard case stands today with author Odd Isungset and former NRK correspondent Anette Groth.
The conversation will be in Norwegian.
Panelists
Odd Isungset – Journalist, author and documentary filmmaker. He has served as editor of Dokument 2 and Brennpunkt and has written three books and made numerous documentaries about the Nygaard case. His work helped bring about the reopening of the case. His awards include the Norwegian Grand Journalism Prize, the Fritt Ord Tribute, a SKUP diploma, the Ossietzky Prize and the Subjekt Prize.
Interviewer: Annette Groth – Journalist, correspondent and author with many years of experience at NRK. She was NRK’s London correspondent from 1991 to 2000.
About the film
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 following accusations that his novel The Satanic Verses had insulted Islam.
A film about one of the world’s greatest writers and his struggle to survive and hold on to hope.
The event is done in collaboration with Norsk PEN.
