How do you make a riveting, chest tightening film out of the raw documentation of one of the most reported on watershed moments in the history of American whistle-blowing of which we already know the final outcome? Somehow Laura Poitras has constructed a stupendously taut thriller out of what is essentially an exclusive account of history in the making with Citizenfour, a film that was produced in secret, premiered at the New York Film Festival with the support of HBO and Radius-twc and deservedly showered in awards, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature.
The film begins in the darkness of a tunnel with Poitras in voiceover, reading calmly, clearly, yet still in a hushed, ominous tone, the first anonymously sent encrypted contact she received from Edward Snowden, operating covertly at the time under the code name ‘Citizenfour’. He has access to incriminating government secrets. He believes the American public should know about them.
The film begins in the darkness of a tunnel with Poitras in voiceover, reading calmly, clearly, yet still in a hushed, ominous tone, the first anonymously sent encrypted contact she received from Edward Snowden, operating covertly at the time under the code name ‘Citizenfour’. He has access to incriminating government secrets. He believes the American public should know about them.
- 9/8/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
“The subject of Citizenfour, Edward Snowden, could not be here for some treason.” – Neil Patrick Harris at The Oscars
The feature film Snowden is currently in post-production and will be released in the Us on Christmas day. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Edward Snowden in the film directed by Oliver Stone, so don’t expect subtlety. If you want to find out more about Snowden, be sure to check out the Oscar-winning documentary Citizenfour, which will be released on Blu-ray August 25th.
Few documentaries have cameras rolling as history is being made. But director Laura Poitras found herself in the middle of momentous times while making Citizenfour, which took us behind the scenes as Nsa whistleblower Edward Snowden worked with (among others) journalist Glenn Greenwald to expose the organization’s systematic surveillance of everyday Americans. From the worried initial meetings in a Hong Kong hotel room to the later fallout across the globe,...
The feature film Snowden is currently in post-production and will be released in the Us on Christmas day. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Edward Snowden in the film directed by Oliver Stone, so don’t expect subtlety. If you want to find out more about Snowden, be sure to check out the Oscar-winning documentary Citizenfour, which will be released on Blu-ray August 25th.
Few documentaries have cameras rolling as history is being made. But director Laura Poitras found herself in the middle of momentous times while making Citizenfour, which took us behind the scenes as Nsa whistleblower Edward Snowden worked with (among others) journalist Glenn Greenwald to expose the organization’s systematic surveillance of everyday Americans. From the worried initial meetings in a Hong Kong hotel room to the later fallout across the globe,...
- 8/19/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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