SNOWDEN Trailer

When a man exposes government programs that sound more like conspiracy theories than reality, you can bet that someone will make a movie about it. It only took three years for the story of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to hit theaters, but that doesn’t mean that it was easy to do.

Co-writer and director Oliver Stone has spoken very publicly about the struggle to get financing for Snowden, which he claims was turned down by every major studio in Hollywood. The film was eventually financed by French and German companies, but what that says about backdoor censorship in the U.S. is telling.

Sure, the country has freedom of speech, but any piece of media that will be mass consumed likely has financial backers, and it’s these companies that restrict the political, religious, and social views that audiences see.

The question that these companies and many audience members are likely asking themselves is whether Snowden deserves to be brought up again. The controversial leak was massive news that resulted in policy change and very frank debates about surveillance limits. However, the broader takeaway from this leak seems to have been lost on the general public.

Most people still don’t understand how easy it is for governments, companies, and tech-savy individuals to get information from their electronic communications. It really is a brave new world out there, and most of us share things without much thought. Perhaps a reminder about who could be listening in will help people get the bigger picture.

Snowden is directed by Oliver Stone and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, and Zachary Quinto. It will be released in the U.S. on September 16th, 2016. For international release dates, click here.

Do you think audiences want to learn more about Snowden? Let us know in the comments!