Director: Laura Poitras
2016, Germania-SUA, 87 min
Festivals: Cannes 2016 - Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Art of the Reel 2017, Sheffield Doc/Fest 2017
OPENING NIGHT
Q&A: editor Erin Casper
An Australian locked up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for nearly six years, a hacker and a transparency activist wanted by the US for espionage and accused of rape in Sweden, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a simultaneously fascinating, disappointing, and inflaming enigma. Director Laura Poitras gained access to Assange’s inner circles even before she was contacted by Edward Snowden, the subject of her 2014 Oscar-winning CitizenFour. Her relationship with Assange followed the strange sinusoidal of Assange’s ego, painstakingly maintaining intimate access and, at the same time, critical distance. First presented in Cannes in 2016, the film was re-edited by Erin Casper to reflect recent trajectory changes for Assange, who played a role in Donald Trump’s ascension to the United States presidency, as well as new personal revelations Poitras was privy to among digital activists. The film’s almost fragmentary, experimental tone comes from the meditative rhythm combined with the profound honesty of its approach to the subject.
Wednesday, October 4th, 19:00, Cinema Arta