"Unprecedented access" is sort of Laura Poitras' thing. The Oscar-winning documentarian was granted such access to Edward Snowden for her acclaimed documentary, Citizenfour. And now with her new film Risk she's giving us an inside look at a figure just as controversial, especially right now, and that's Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Showtime has picked up the documentary on Assange and has released a trailer for its upcoming debut. The film debuted at Cannes last year, but in the months since Assange has become linked to the 2016 Presidential elections and Wikileaks' involvement in the leaking of emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee. Poitras has been updating the film to reflect every new revelation, some of which is teased in this new footage.
Here's the official synopsis:
“Filmed over six years including through the 2016 presidential election and up to the present moment, RISK takes viewers closer than they have ever been before to Julian Assange and those who surround him. With unprecedented access, Poitras give us the WikiLeaks story from the inside, allowing viewers to understand our current era of massive leaks, headline-grabbing news, and the revolutionary impact of the internet on global politics. RISK is a portrait of power, principles, betrayal, and sacrifice when the stakes could not be any higher. It is a first-person geopolitical thriller told from the perspective of a filmmaker immersed in the worlds of state surveillance and the cypherpunk movement. RISK confirms Poitras’ directorial ability to record history as it unfolds on camera, and craft narratives at the highest level.”
There have been numerous movies on Assange, both narrative and documentary, but this looks like it could be the most revealing. Risk will air on Showtime this summer to coincide with a theatrical release.
