PETALING JAYA: The Kleptocrats, a documentary on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, has made its debut this week at the 2018 Doc NYC, an annual documentary festival.
Directed by Britons Sam Hobkinson and Havana Marking, the 86-minute documentary tells the story of the scandal and those connected to it, including former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, businessman and now fugitive Jho Taek Low, and Hollywood celebrity Leonardo DiCaprio.
It also follows the investigations conducted by journalists from publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter, who worked to uncover the scandal.
In a review on Screendaily, film critic Allan Hunter wrote that “interviews with (then-opposition) politician Tony Pua, political cartoonist Zunar and activist (now MP) Maria Chin Abdullah remind us that a great story was also a national tragedy.
The executive producers of the documentary include Alex Soros, the son of billionaire George Soros.
Hunter said it earned its spurs as a feature, not only for its ambitious scope and technical polish, but in the way it saw the story through to the impact on the people of Malaysia.
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