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Monday, February 23, 2015

CITIZENFOUR, THE ACCLAIMED, OSCAR®-WINNING DOCUMENTARY ABOUT EDWARD SNOWDEN, DEBUTS TONIGHT FEBRUARY 23, 2015 ON HBO & IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY WHOM YOU KNOW Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates

FEATURED IN IMAGE: Edward Snowden
Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO

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FEATURED IN IMAGE: Edward Snowden
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Radius-TWC and HBO

What would you do if you saw something happening that you believed was wrong?  Citizenfour is a fascinating documentary centering on Edward Snowden, courageously executed by Laura Poitras, the third movie of a trilogy she's worked on since September 11th about life in this world since that date.  She also worked on an Iraq war film and a film on Guantanamo.

Joined by Glenn Greenwald, Laura meets Edward Snowden in a Hong Kong hotel room and captures key conversations on this exact video turned into a movie, debuting on HBO tonight.  Edward speaks for himself, and this is one of the most interesting documentaries we've seen by HBO, and all of them that we've reviewed are of that ilk.  You'll discover more about metadata and surveillance than you might have realized.  In the world of instantaneous news, the drama that unfolds could not have been more gripping if it was scripted.  As you'll see and if you've been reading the news, it is dynamically real.  History will happen right before your eyes, and the implications are like dominoes.
FEATURED IN IMAGE: Edward Snowden
Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO

The trio - including the two journalists - chronicle what Snowden is whistleblowing with a high level discussion.  As he ultimately applies for refugee status through the UN and goes underground, the earth-shattering changes to both the security of American intelligence and the life of Edward Snowden unwind.  Snowden is definitely not afraid, but it is impossible to know where all that was leaked reached, and that is troublesome.  
The black screen and the white typed font adds to the gravity of this topic.
FEATURED IN IMAGE: Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald
Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO

Is this a sci-fi thriller?
No, this is the world we live in, drones included.
Everyone should see this because it is fascinating and what you ought to know as part of the American pubic, or a citizen of the world.
There are lawyers in this documentary, and they meet pro-bono to defend Snowden.  You'll learn a lot about laws you may not have been previously aware of, and one lawyer concludes this case is 95% politics and 5% law.
What does privacy mean to you?
What is freedom?
Does it change the matter when Angela Merkel's phone is intercepted?
What is the price of being safe, and is there really anything more important than safety and the best security possible?  Think for yourself and watch this.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO

Citizenfour is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.



Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO

The acclaimed documentary CITIZENFOUR, one of the most talked-about films of 2014, will debut MONDAY, FEB. 23 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: Feb. 23 (5:00 a.m.) and 27 (6:00 p.m.), and March 1 (4:10 p.m., 3:15 a.m.), 3 (11:30 p.m.) and 12 (7:00 p.m., 4:05 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Feb. 25 (4:25 p.m.) and 28 (7:15 a.m., 10:15 p.m.), and March 6 (11:25 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 9 (2:00 p.m., 12:45 a.m.), 18 (3:20 a.m.) and 28 (3:15 p.m.)

Directed by Oscar® nominee Laura Poitras (“My Country, My Country”), CITIZENFOUR is a real-life international thriller that unfolds by the minute. With unprecedented access, this gripping behind-the-scenes chronicle follows Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald’s remarkable encounters with Edward Snowden in a Hong Kong hotel room as he hands over classified documents that provide evidence of mass indiscriminate and illegal invasions of privacy by the National Security Agency (NSA).

Poitras had been working on a film about surveillance for two years when Snowden contacted her, using the name “Citizenfour,” in Jan. 2013. He reached out to Poitras because he knew she was a longtime target of government surveillance who had refused to be intimidated. When Snowden told Poitras he would not conceal his identity as the source of information on the massive surveillance of Americans by the NSA, Poitras persuaded him to meet in person and let her film their encounter.

CITIZENFOUR places viewers in the hotel room with Poitras, Greenwald and Snowden as they attempt to manage the media storm raging outside, forced to make quick decisions that will affect their lives and all around them. The documentary not only shows the dangers of governmental surveillance, but makes audiences feel them. After seeing the film, viewers will never think the same way about their phone, e-mail, credit cards, web browser or digital footprint again.

CITIZENFOUR has been nominated for an Academy Award® in the Documentary Feature category.  It won.

Since its world premiere at the prestigious New York Film Festival, the film has earned multiple awards, including honors from the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics, Boston Society of Film Critics, San Francisco Film Critics Circle, San Diego Film Critics Society, Kansas City Critics Circle, Dallas-Ft. Worth Critics Association, Detroit Film Critics Society, St. Louis Film Critics Association, Austin Film Critics Association, Iowa Film Critics Awards, Houston Film Critics Awards, National Society of Film Critics, Utah Film Critics Society, Women Film Critics Circle Awards, Las Vegas Film Critics Society, Cinema Eye, the Gothams and the IDAs.

RADiUS presents a Praxis Films production; in association with Participant Media and HBO Documentary Films; in coproduction with Bertha Foundation, BRITDOC Circle, Channel 4, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) and Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR); directed, filmed and produced by Laura Poitras; edited and produced by Mathilde Bonnefoy; produced by Dirk Wilutzky; co-producers, Katy Scoggin, Kirsten Johnson; executive producers, Steven Soderbergh, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, David Menschel, Tom Quinn. For HBO: supervising producer, Sara Bernstein; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.

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