The Various Columns

Friday, January 9, 2015

Save the Date: "Citizenfour" to Premiere on HBO Day After Oscars Ceremony

It is the documentary everyone has been raving about. For the most part, it has quickly become one of the quintessential modern documentaries alongside titles like The Act of Killing. However, for all the good that hearing about it does, most people don't have the advantage of seeing director Lauren Poitras' Citizenfour due to limited resources. For those who are interested in seeing the likely Oscar nominee that has already swept up plenty of Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA nominations, there's some good news. You won't be able to see it in time for the Oscars ceremony, but you'll be able to see it very, very soon.

In Poitras' documentary, she follows the journey of Edward Snowden as he releases the information that the NSA has been spying on American citizens. Critics have considered it a crucial piece of film making in that it serves as an unveiling of a lot of harsh truth about privacy and freedoms in contemporary America. In fact, it follows Snowden as he sits in the hotel room moments before releasing the information to the public. It may sound a little too conventional, but fret not. It still has managed to lobby a lot of attention.

So, where can you see it? For those with access to HBO (who served as producer), Citizenfour will be made available on Monday, February 22. This is the day immediately following the Oscars ceremony. While this may seem like a bummer for those completionist who wish to see everything ahead of time, it is the next best thing. While I hope to see it before the actual ceremony, this is likely the first time that most people will have a chance. The only question that remains is if Citizenfour can beat crowd favorite Life Itself (or even get nominated). We'll just have to see.

No comments:

Post a Comment