Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie

Real footage and stylised reenactments of the attack on Rushdie feature brief bloody detail. Other scenes contain footage of real terrorist attacks and rioting, all without visible injuries. There is occasional use of film clips featuring fictional depictions of bloody shootings and stabbings, as well as a black-and-white image of an eyeball being sliced by a razor blade. Another scene contains non-graphic references to domestic abuse.

Footage of protests and riots following the publication of Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses shows people behaving in a violent and aggressive manner, including throwing objects at police officers, burning effigies of Rushdie and death threats.

There is infrequent use of strong language (‘f**k’). Milder terms include ‘whore’, ‘arse’, ‘bastard’ and ‘shit’.

There are infrequent non-graphic references to sex work.

There are verbal references to racism and religious discrimination, as well as brief references to homophobia.

Footage of Rushdie recuperating in hospital includes frequent close-up images of sutured stab wounds and a severe eye injury. There is also brief use of historical footage of real dead bodies in the aftermath of armed conflict and civil unrest.

As well as footage of the attack itself, the film includes scenes of emotional upset as Rushdie and his family react to his near-death experience and adjust to his life-changing injuries.

This work contains flashing images which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.