New documentary 'Citizenfour' is witness to Snowden leak

NEW YORK — A new documentary captures Edward Snowden's leak of National Security Agency documents as it unfolds from the vantage point of his Hong Kong hotel room.

Laura Poitras' highly anticipated documentary "Citizenfour" premiered Friday night at the New York Film Festival. The film presents a remarkably intimate portrait of Snowden, including his first meetings with the journalists with whom he would share thousands of documents revealing the NSA's collection of Americans' phone and email records.

Initially communicating under the alias Citizenfour, Snowden reached out to Poitras, a hybrid journalist-documentarian, and Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald.

From the beginning, Snowden is seen as highly aware that such a leak would mean sacrificing his own freedom. He says, "I already know how this will end for me."

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