Laura poitras, puzzling over a jihadis journey the filmmakers documentary the oath tells the story of two men who both worked for osama bin laden and then wound up in incredibly different spots. The story of wikileaks editorinchief julian assange as seen by documentary filmmaker laura poitras. From the director of the oscarnominated my country, my country, the oath is a spectacularly gripping documentary that unfolds like a great political thriller. A rare look inside the world of iraqis living under u. I saw laura poitrass julian assange movie 10 days ago. But i do think he is burdened by a kind of guilt around the question of his oath. His sevenyear captivity at guantanamo is narrated through his prison letters. Delve deeper into the oath a film by laura poitras this multimedia resource list, compiled by gina blume of the monroe township public library, provides a range of perspectives on the issues raised by the upcoming p. I thought that there was a moral drift, that wed look back on. Directed by laura poitras, the oath unfolds via a narrative rife with plot reversals and betrayals that ultimately leads to osama bin laden, 911, guantanamo and the u. The nyt feature on the oath stated that, along with my country, my country, poitras has produced two of the most searching documentaries of the post911 era, ontheground chronicles that. Abu jandal is free he drives a taxi in yemen and his story slowly. Following the story of these two men, the oath takes the viewer on a journey that leads to afghanistan, osama bin laden, guantanamo bay prison, fbi interrogations, and the u. It tells the crosscut tale of two men, abu jandal and salim ahmed hamdan, whose meeting launched them on juxtaposed paths with alqaeda, osama bin laden, the september 11 attacks, us military tribunals and the u.
Fancy watching the oath in the comfort of your own home. Filmmaker laura poitras held, questioned some 40 times at us airports, democracynow, april 20, 2012. And we corresponded over the course of five months, and hewhen i. Shot over six years, beginning in 2011, the film treats events during the period in which. I thought i could ignore the contradictions, laura poitras wrote in her production journal while filming the movie that became risk. The oath critical acclaim page 1 of 3 critical acclaim for the oath by laura poitras all that time laura poitras has spent in the danger zones of iraq and yemen have produced two of the most searching documentaries of the post911 era, my country, my country and the oath. She is a producer, known for citizenfour 2014, the oath 2010 and my country, my country 2006. The film is the second of a trilogy, with the first being my country, my country.
This site uses cookies for analytics, personalized content and ads. Portions of content provided by tivo corporation 2020 tivo corporation whats new. She lives in new york city poitras has received numerous awards for her work, including the 2015 academy award for best documentary feature for citizenfour, about edward snowden, while my country, my country received a nomination in the same category in 2007. The oath, a documentary by laura poitras, looks at. This person, who went by the name citizenfour, wanted to get the word out about the nsas surveillance programs aimed at private.
A conversation with david brancaccio, laura poitras. In the oath, poitras poignantly, quietly questions her. Interviews about jihad with abu jandal by laura poitras. The primary story is about abu jandal, who was osama bin ladens bodyguard.
Laura poitrass closeup view of edward snowden the new. The oath is the second documentary in a trilogy i am working on about america post 911, poitras continues. I tend to work alone in the field it allows me to be patient. Citizen four was the alias that edward snowden used to contact me in january 20. The oath is a 2010 documentary film directed by laura poitras. Laura poitras uses her new documentary, the oath, to help shed light on american foreign policy.
Citizenfour, the third installment of her post911 trilogy, won an academy award for best documentary, along with awards from the british film academy, independent spirit awards, directors guild of america, german filmpreis, cinema eye honors, gotham awards and others. Laura poitras was born on february 2, 1964 in boston, massachusetts, usa. Laura poitras, director of the oath, discusses her documentary which follows osama bin ladens former bodyguard and former driver who was captured and sent to guantanamo bay prison. Tell us about the oath in your own words laura poitras. Poitras is the recipient of a guggenheim fellowship and a media arts fellowship from the rockefeller foundationtribeca film institute.
The oath the 2010 movie, trailers, videos and more at yidio. Following an early career in experimental film, poitras turned her attention to contemporary social issues, offering insight into complex topics with a. There were two teams i worked in yemen and did camerasound. The first film, my country, my country, tells the story of the u. Its the crosscut tale of two men whose fateful meeting propelled them on divergent courses with alqaeda, osama bin laden, 911, guantanamo and the u. Shes captured intimate and candid moments and skillfully edited them to portray the intelligence, complexity and humanity of a former jihadist, and his familys plight. Laura poitras is a filmmaker, journalist, and artist. Interviews about jihad with abu jandal by laura poitras for her film the oath. Abu jandal has many things he needs to do to survive, which i think explains some of the contradictions. Special correspondent for marketplaceamerican public media david brancaccio spoke with filmmaker laura poitras and former lt.
She kept going, though, and finished the project, the oath, in 2010. Since 1998, dvd netflix has been the premier dvdbymail rental service. Oscarwinning filmmaker laura poitras will show her new series asylum, focusing on the wikileaks cofounder, accompanied by other short work published. Laura poitras is a filmmaker whose elegant and illuminating documentaries capture the lives and intimate experiences of families and communities largely inaccessible to the american media. Laura poitras new documentary, risk, about wikileaks founder julian assange, opened in the us may 5. She has attended the sundance institutes documentary edit and story lab as both a fellow and creative advisor. The national security agency nsa whistleblower contacted poitras anonymously in 20 impressed by the two documentaries she had made about the post911 world, the oath and my country, my country. Filmmaker laura poitras has made several excellent documentaries, but i think this is her masterpiece. The oath filmmaker laura poitras talks about being a woman filmmaker in yemen, how she communicated with abu jandal and more. The oath official full documentary trailer in hd poitras. In january 20, laura poitras was working on a film about surveillance, the third and final film in a trilogy propelled by the attacks on september 11, 2001, and the subsequent war on terror, when she was anonymously contacted by a whistleblower.
Laura poitras gut wrenching documentary details the tumultuous life of abu jandal, a taxi driver in sanaa, yemen. Make your movie list and get blurays and dvds conveniently delivered to you with free shipping. It was a response to historical circumstances, particularly the buildup to the iraq war and the prison at guantanamo. Laura poitras she has just finished citizenfour, the third in a trilogy of films about post911 america that includes my country, my country, nominated for an. With a new solo art exhibition about mass surveillance, and a. The filmmaker laura poitras profiles william binney, a 32year veteran of the national security agency who helped design a topsecret program he says is. With julian assange, sarah harrison, jacob appelbaum, joseph farrell. Every time julian assange appears in laura poitrass new documentary, risk, theres a distinct impression of his quiet thrill at being. Discovering a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the laura poitrasdirected.
Rent laura poitras movies and tv shows on dvd and bluray. The program, by laura poitras, new york times, august 22, 2012. The oath is a spectacularly gripping documentary that unspools like a great political thriller. Poitras pulls off a brilliant balancing act as she doles out information over the course of the oath.