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Laura Poitras' CITIZENFOUR Awarded Oscar for Best Documentary in 2014

Edward Snowdon in front of a house

It’s been a privilege to work on CITIZENFOUR, Laura Poitras' riveting documentary about Edward Snowden.

An eye-opening exposé of the dangers of government surveillance, CITIZENFOUR tells the inside story of Edward Snowden and of the NSA’s mass illegal invasions of privacy. It’s a real-life thriller, following Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald’s encounters with Snowden in Hong Kong as he hands over classified documents and prepares to pay a personal price to reveal the truth.

After seeing the film, you'll never think the same way about your phone, email, credit card, web browser, or profile, ever again. You'll also feel inspired by Snowden's bravery. "One person can make a difference," he says at one point, "...and everyone should try."

Snowden's allegations brought to light violations committed by GCHQ (ruled as unlawful last month), who shared vast streams of sensitive personal information (including international phone calls and internet traffic) with the NSA, and countless other violations of personal privacy.

It’s a striking piece of investigative work so we absolutely thrilled when the film won Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars last Sunday. The win not only recognises Poitras' skilful cinematography, but also her daring work with a high-stakes whistleblower and the journalism that kick-started a worldwide debate.

Citizen Four being awarded Oscar for best documentary