Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie

Knife explores renowned author Salman Rushdie’s life, career and recovery following a harrowing attempt on his life in 2022. The film includes never-before-seen footage shot by Rushdie’s wife, the American poet, novelist and visual artist Rachel Eliza Griffiths, in the time following the attack offering a graphic, unflinching, and deeply intimate account of his remarkable recovery and optimism for the future. Directed by Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney, Knife is inspired by Rushdie’s bestselling memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder.

The Garden Cinema View:

Whether you see Salman Rushdie as a symbol of free speech or, as some regard him, an overly zealous western voice in his opposition to Islamism, Knife stands as a personal account of the gruesome consequences of violence.

Documented by his wife, poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths, throughout his recovery from the attack, the result is a highly intimate and shockingly graphic film that occasionally borders on body horror. But the documentary is not purely focused on the assault and recovery, with Rushdie’s own memories and writing just as much in focus.

His optimism and resilience is inspiring, and one thing is inarguable: books can be criticised, but a knife is not a counter-argument.

Cast:
Salman Rushdie, Rachel Eliza Griffiths

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Alex Gibney, USA, 2026, 107m.