Poitras Film: Julian Assange’s Bid To Escape Extradition
By Henry Barnes for the Guardian. Poitras presents her insider’s account of the WikiLeaks saga in Risk, a documentary that premiered this week at the Cannes film festival. Shot before, during and after the Snowden revelations, it is a partial reveal of the reveal. It brings the viewer into the room with the team of journalists, activists and hackers who helped – based on the leaks by Chelsea Manning and with the assistance of the Guardian – to expose exactly how scrutinised we are by the state. “He has a pretty extraordinary ability to withstand stress,” says Poitras. “Not that many people could withstand the pressure that he’s living under. He has to be able to hold it together, and he manages to.”