Edward Snowden, a subject of controversy, being called a hero as well as a traitor. His disclosures have been the source of many debates over mass surveillance, government secrecy, and the balance between national security. He will now be the inspiration for a biographical political thriller.
"Snowden" will be directed by Oliver Stone. Playing Edward Snowden is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. While this film took a while to get on the road (with lots of people they needed to confirm it with, including Edward Snowden's Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena). It is set to be released September 16, 2016.
Naturally, the trailer is amazing, breathtaking, and already heart-racing.
<span id="selection-marker-1" class="redactor-selection-marker"> </span>
Now, if you have spent any time listening to Edward Snowden talk about his experience leaking classified intel from the NSA (like in the movie "Citizenfour"), you have an idea of what he sounds like. In my opinion, Joseph Gordon-Levitt nails it. The trailer shows Snowden's shock about the level of government spying, painting Snowden as a brilliant, almost Bourne-style operative. But we also see some of his personal life, with Shailene Woodley as his girlfriend Lindsay Mills.
I always assumed that everyone knew who Edward Snowden was, but while I was discussing my excitement about the new upcoming film "Snowden" I had to explain who he was. So, here's a crash course of who Edward Snowden is.
Edward Snowden is an American computer professional, former CIA employee, and former contractor for the US government who copied and leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013 without authorization. His disclosures revealed several global surveillance programs, many of which are run by the NSA and the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance (an intelligence alliance comprising of Austrailia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States).
On May 20, 2013, Snowden flew to Hong Kong after leaving his job at an NSA facility in Hawaii, and in early June, he revealed thousands of classified NSA documents to journalists (Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Ewan MacAskill). Snowden came to international attention after the stories based on the material appeared in "The Guardian" and "The Washington Post."
On June 21, 2013, the US Department of Justice charged Snowden with two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and theft of government property. On June 23, 2013, he flew to Moscow, where he reportedly remained for over a month. Later that summer, Russian authorities granted him one-year asylum, which was later extended to three years. As of 2015, he was still living in an undisclosed location in Russia while seeking asylum elsewhere.
