With The Mauritanian now playing in select theaters, I recently got to speak with director Kevin Macdonald’s about making his powerful new film. Written by M.B. Traven, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani and based on the NY Times best-selling memoir “Guantánamo Diary” by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, the film tells the inspiring true story of Slahi’s fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years. Led by an incredible lead performance by Tahar Rahim (who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe), the movie also stars Jodie Foster as Slahi’s defense attorney, Benedict Cumberbatch as the military prosecutor trying to convict Slahi, Shailene Woodley as Foster’s associate lawyer, and Zachary Levi as a CIA agent.

During the interview, Macdonald talks about how he landed Jodie Foster for the film since she is very selective about her acting roles, the way they collaborated on the script, what it was like working with Rahim and crafting his prison scenes, his longer cut of the film and why he’d be willing to release it, the challenges of the edit, and a lot more.
Check out what he had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about followed by the official synopsis.

Kevin Macdonald:
• What TV series would he like to guest direct?
• How he first saw Tahar Rahim’s work.
• Was it a struggle to get financing?
• What it was like meeting Mohamedou Ould Slahi and why he’s tried to forgive the people involved.
• How did he land Jodie Foster for the film because she is very selective with acting jobs?
• Why Foster worked with Macdonald on the script and what she wanted changed.
• What was it like working with an actor that is also a talented director?
• What was it like working with Rahim on set and crafting the prison scenes?
• What was it like in the editing room and if he had a longer cut?
• Is his longer cut done?

Here’s the official synopsis for The Mauritanian:
Two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster stars as Nancy Hollander, a defense attorney who takes on the case of Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim), a Mauritanian man who stands accused of recruiting the terrorists who flew a plane into the World Trade Center on 9/11. Captured by the U.S. government, Mohamedou languishes in prison for years without charge or trial, nearly losing all hope until he finds allies in Nancy and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). Together they face countless obstacles in a desperate pursuit for justice. Their controversial advocacy, along with evidence uncovered by formidable military prosecutor Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), eventually reveals a shocking and far-reaching conspiracy.

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