Ahead of next month’s release of the Oliver Stone biopic “Snowden” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the film’s star had released his own adaptation of sorts. With the help of the ACLU and HitRecord, a short film directed by Gordon-Levitt was posted online this week (via EW). HitRecord is JGL’s own company, designed to allow a totally collaborative creative experience. This film, part of a series called “Are You There, Democracy? It’s Me, the Internet” features contributions from over 200 different artists.
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The four-minute documentary shows Edward Snowden, former CIA employee and orchestrator of the largest NSA leak in history, answering the question: “Is today’s technology good or bad for democracy?” Despite living in Russia in exile for that NSA leak, he has a strangely optimistic take on the subject. He points to advances in alternative energy sources and an increased freedom to create as signs that we’re heading in the right direction. It wouldn’t be Snowden if he didn’t also warn about the dangers of all our collected information being used against us, but he still maintains that our future and democracy are in our hands.
Post-CIA, Snowden founded and still runs the Freedom of the Press Foundation and, speaking at RightsCon this spring (via The Guardian), claims he feels “more fulfilled now, more connected now, and more effective” in his continued work.
“Snowden” stars Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, and Zachary Quinto, premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival, and opens on September 16th. Watch Gordon-Levitt’s short film below, along with two clips from the film.
Here is the short film I directed feat. Edward @Snowden..https://t.co/JIsGGjtG45
— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) August 23, 2016
