JIFF: The Last Spy

The Last Spy

“A fascinating and wide-ranging history lesson … There is enough material to fill a miniseries, never mind a single feature.” – Screen Daily

Australian Premiere

Peter Sichel, who was known to his friends as the “Jewish James Bond”, was one of the earliest recruits to the CIA, becoming the agency’s first station chief in postwar Berlin. This riveting documentary tells Sichel’s extraordinary life story, which intersected directly with many key historical events from World War II to the Cold War.

Aged 100 years old at the time of the interviews in the film (Sichel died in early 2025 at 102 years old) but still sharp as a tack, Sichel recounts his years as a CIA spymaster in Berlin, Washington and Hong Kong with a frank directness and a gleefully wicked sense of humour. As a German-Jewish man who fled Europe with his family before World War II broke out and worked as a covert operative during the early days of the Cold War, Sichel’s wisdom and insight into today’s global conflicts carry significant weight.

Rating

Unclassified 15+

Duration

106 min

Country

United States, Germany

Language

English, German (English subtitles)

Director

Katharina Otto-Bernstein