Directed by Nick Green and executive produced by Nora Melhli, the documentary offers exclusive access to Ghosn, his wife Carole, and through other interviews and archival footage.
Shahid VIP has announced the MENA premiere of Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight. The documentary about the former Nissan chairman will debut on the streaming platform on July 8, 2021.
A joint production by MBC Studios and France-based international production house, Alef One, Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight showcases the full story of Ghosn, the former CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
After being charged with financial crimes, he stunned the world with a Hollywood-worthy escape from Japan. But what triggered Ghosn’s downfall from industry leader to international fugitive? Is there truth to his claims of a corporate conspiracy? The documentary – directed by filmmaker Nick Green – sheds light on this multi-layered story.
Speaking about the documentary, Nick Green said: “Intercutting Carlos Ghosn’s narrative with that of his supporters provides a sense of immediacy and access from inside this ‘David vs Goliath’ fight against what he refers to as ‘an injustice’. But this is a story for which there are different points of view. For Carlos to give full disclosure and tell the story entirely in his own words will leave the whole world gasping.”
The worldwide premiere of the documentary took place at Sheffield DocFest 2021 earlier this month.
Filmed across locations in Lebanon, France, Japan, England and South Africa, Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight not only offers exclusive access to Ghosn’s story in his own words – as well as through other interviews and archival footage – but also to his wife, Carole.
Green explained: “The other key protagonist of this story is Carole Ghosn. Her ability to make him change and her fight to defend him. None of us know what it is like to run a multi-billion-dollar, global industry, but we all understand the importance of love and feeling secure in a family environment. Carole’s story provides further insight. Fundamentally, I don’t see this as a business story. It’s a human story and her testimony will give the narrative a quality we can all understand.”
For executive producer Nora Melhli, Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight shows “both sides of Carlos Ghosn; the public and personal figure crushed by a system he thought he was controlling. For the first time, he confesses.”
She continued: “Throughout the narrative interviews with Ghosn and his wife Carole, as well as colleagues of Nissan or Renault, politicians, journalists and former Japanese lawyers and prosecutors, the audience will have a direct access to all the elements and perspectives of this incredible story to make its own opinion on it.”
On choosing Green to lead the project, Melhli stated: “We chose Nick Green to direct our film as we are fascinated by his work, and especially with his approach of unusual characters in Putin: A Russian Spy Story, and A Dangerous Dynasty: House of Assad. Beyond the story and its many stakeholders, each with political and financial interests, this film aims to be an X-ray of the world we live in. We shot the film in five different countries, which was a real challenge due to the health context: Lebanon, France, Japan, England and South Africa. We even had to remotely shoot some of the film’s sequences, jetlag between UK and Japan is eight hours… Nick had to direct the Japanese shooting during his nights in London.”
Since 2018, when she co-founded Alef One, Melhli has been developing compelling projects for France and other international markets.
Following its premiere on Shahid VIP, Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight will be shown on the BBC later this year.
Peter Smith, Managing Director of MBC Studios, remarked: “Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight is one of our most anticipated productions this year, and it’s easy to see why. With exclusive access to Ghosn and some of those close to him, it is a compelling documentary that tells his side of the story that the public hasn’t heard in great detail yet. Given the nature of events, this is a production that will appeal beyond the MENA region, which is part of our mission at MBC Studios – to showcase MENA-focused stories to the rest of the world. We have more films and series of international appeal in the pipeline with MBC Studios. Stay tuned.”
Joining Green and Melhli in this project are a number of notable talents, including Samuel R Santana – Editor (The Rise of The Murdoch Dynasty), Lily Fletcher – Producer (Path of Blood), Duane McClunie – Director of Photography (Gunned Down), Tom Howe – Music Composer (award-winner who has scored over 80 Emmy and BAFTA-winning dramas and documentaries), and Paul Gardner – Archive Producer (Bohemian Rhapsody).
