Stars Fell on Alabama: 3 THE DISSIDENT: Here’s a supreme example of hard-hitting journalism. So hard that it has been almost buried since it premiered at Sundance last year, where the audience stood up and cheered. The facts it unearths are much too threatening for business and diplomatic connections with Saudi Arabia, and may be the reason for its sidelining. It finally arrives video-on-demand, and you should seek it out. Courtesy of Route 504PR The basic story is about Jamal Khashoggi, the writer for the Washington Post who was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. He was a harsh critic of the regime (and originally an insider, and therefore knowledgeable). His main target was the new leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, MBS for short, who he attacked as a tyrant. MBS feared his access to U.S. President Donald Trump was in danger (it took a Trump veto to restart arms sales) and 15 of his agents went to Istanbul just as Khashoggi arrived. He was never seen again, but there is an audio tape of his killing and dismemberment. The film doesn’t play it, but lets us read a transcript. There is much more evidence from security cameras, and, surprisingly, a Canadian connection. Omar Abdulaziz, in Montreal as a refugee, describes a social media war between Saudi Arabia and a group he organized. He also criticizes the regime in a YouTube show, and it’s growing influence, he thinks, may have led to the Khashoggi murder. The film’s director, Bryan Fogel, has a good track record. His film