Following on from the fantastic The Lives of Others last month, we continue our mini-season on surveillance and its effects on human beings with Laura Poitras’ modern classic fly on the wall documentary on Edward Snowden, Citizenfour.
No amount of familiarity with whistleblower Edward Snowden and his shocking revelations of the U.S. government’s wholesale spying on its own citizens can prepare one for the impact of Laura Poitras’ extraordinary documentary “Citizenfour.” Far from reconstructing or analyzing a fait accompli, the film tersely records the deed in real time, as Poitras and fellow journalist Glenn Greenwald meet Snowden over an eight-day period in a Hong Kong hotel room to plot how and when they will unleash the bombshell that shook the world. Adapting the cold language of data encryption to recount a dramatic saga of abuse of power and justified paranoia, Poitras brilliantly demonstrates that information is a weapon that cuts both ways.
The film has won numerous awards including a BAFTA, an Emmy and an Oscar. Watch it with us!
We view films and discuss them from 7-10pm UK time.
Please do let us know if you’ll be watching and of course share thoughts on the hashtag; also please get in touch if you’re in Cambridge and would like to attend future events in person.
