The Mauritanian (2021) recounts Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s nightmare journey of secret rendition, torture, and detention at Guantanamo Bay—an odyssey that lasted 15 years, until Mr. Slahi was finally released in 2016, never having been charged with a crime. The film is based on the book, Guantanamo Diary, which Mr. Slahi wrote and had published while still a prisoner at Guantanamo. The book became a critically acclaimed international bestseller. The film was directed by Kevin Macdonald and features Tahar Rahim as Mohamedou Slahi, Jodie Foster as Nancy Hollander, Mr. Slahi’s lead lawyer, Shailene Woodley as Teri Duncan, her co-counsel, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Ltn. Col. Stuart Couch, the military officer assigned to prosecute Mr. Slahi. The film was nominated for and won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe for Jodi Foster’s portrayal of Nancy Hollander. Our guests are Mohamedou Slahi, the former Guantanamo prisoner and now world-famous author, and Nancy Hollander, Mohamedou’s attorney and a leading criminal defense attorney.Timestamps:0:00.       Introduction7:11        Mohamedou’s nightmare begins10:47     What law?12:43      Habeas petition granted, but imprisonment continues18:51      Endless interrogations25:19      Mohamedou first hears he will face the death penalty28:08      Military prosecutor Stuart Couch takes a stand against torture32:19      Writing Guantanamo Diary in a new language34:34       “My life, 24/7 in darkness”37:01       “I have a vow of kindness”38:59:      Getting Mohamedou’s story out of Guantanamo43:33        Mohamedou sees his book’s success on Russian TV at Guantanamo48:17        The freedom that is inside you49:48        An advocate for Mohamedou before the Periodic Review Board50:57        “I needed a miracle” 53:26         Americans are supposed to be the good guys56:29         The near impossibility of leaving Guantanamo58:41         Mohamedou and his former guard, and friend, Steve Wood1:00:52     Don’t give up; miracles can happen1:02:49     The long shadow of Guantanamo1:04:02     To be free again1:06:26     Capturing the small details about Guantanamo1:08:31      A small nit about the film1:11:14      What it’s like to see yourself being portrayed on screenFurther reading:Bravin, Jess, “The Conscience of the Colonel,” Wall St. J. (Mar. 31, 2007)Coll, Steven, “An Eloquent Voice from Guantánamo,” N.Y.R.B. (Jan. 14, 2016)Hafetz, Jonathan, Habeas Corpus after 9/11: Confronting America’s New Global Detention System (2011)Rosenberg, Carol, “The Legacy of America’s Post-9/11 Turn to Torture,” N.Y. Times (Sept. 12. 2021)Slahi, Mohamedou Ould, Guantámao Diary (Larry Siems, ed.) (2015)Law on Film is created and produced by Jonathan Hafetz. Jonathan is a law professor at Seton Hall Law School. He has written many books and articles about the law. He has litigated many important cases to protect civil liberties and defend human rights while working at the ACLU and other organizations. Jonathan is also a huge film buff and has been watching, studying, and talking about movies for as long as he can remember. For more information about Jonathan, here's a link to his bio: https://law.shu.edu/faculty/full-time/jonathan-hafetz.cfmYou can follow him on Twitter @jonathanhafetz You can follow the podcast on Twitter @LawOnFilm