Laura Poitras is an American documentary filmmaker and journalist whose work on national security and surveillance placed her at the center of one of the most consequential intelligence disclosures in modern history. In 2013, she was among the first people Edward Snowden contacted to share classified documents revealing the scope of NSA mass surveillance programs.

Documentary Work

Post-9/11 Trilogy (2006-2016) Poitras produced a trilogy of documentary films examining the impact of the September 11 attacks and the subsequent expansion of American military and intelligence operations. My Country, My Country (2006) documented life in Iraq under U.S. occupation, and The Oath (2010) followed two men connected to Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard detail. These films brought her to the attention of U.S. intelligence agencies and resulted in repeated detentions at airports.

Citizenfour (2014) Poitras directed Citizenfour, a documentary that chronicled her direct involvement in Edward Snowden’s decision to disclose classified NSA surveillance programs. The film captured Snowden’s meetings with Poitras and Glenn Greenwald in a Hong Kong hotel room in June 2013. Citizenfour received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2015.

Journalism and Media

The Intercept (2014-Present) In 2014, Poitras co-founded The Intercept alongside Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill, with financial backing from Pierre Omidyar’s First Look Media. The publication was established as a digital-first investigative outlet focused on national security, government surveillance, and civil liberties reporting. Poitras contributed visual and investigative journalism to the publication.

Field of Vision (2015-Present) Poitras co-founded Field of Vision, a filmmaker-driven documentary unit focused on producing short nonfiction films about current events. The organization has produced and supported documentary work on topics including digital rights, immigration, and government transparency.

Digital Political Impact

Poitras’s work intersected with digital politics in several significant ways:

• Served as a primary conduit for the Snowden disclosures, which reshaped global debates about digital privacy and government surveillance
• Used encrypted communication tools to securely receive and handle classified materials, demonstrating the role of digital security in modern journalism
• Her documentary Citizenfour brought public attention to the mechanics of mass digital surveillance, including programs like PRISM and XKeyscore
• Co-founded a digital-first news outlet dedicated to reporting on the surveillance state and civil liberties
• Documented the intersection of national security, technology, and civil liberties through film and journalism

Poitras’s career illustrates the evolving relationship between documentary filmmaking, investigative journalism, and the digital tools that enable both the surveillance she reports on and the secure communications she relies upon.