Citizenfour, the new documentary from nonfiction auteur Laura Poitras, returns to Columbia this Friday at Ragtag Cinema. Covering in present tense the story of NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden and his leaks to Poitras herself and Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, this film is certainly a monumental work of journalism. But first and foremost, Citizenfour is a masterpiece of observational filmmaking and a captivating, paranoid thriller. A.O. Scott wrote in his rave review in the New York Times:

Cinema, even in the service of journalism, is always more than reporting, and focusing on what Ms. Poitras’s film is about risks ignoring what it is. It’s a tense and frightening thriller that blends the brisk globe-trotting of the “Bourne” movies with the spooky, atmospheric effects of a Japanese horror film. And it is also a primal political fable for the digital age, a real-time tableau of the confrontation between the individual and the state.

We were honored to help launch this film earlier this month with two special screenings at the birthplace of Ragtag, The Blue Note. Director Laura Poitras Skyped with T/F co-conspirator David Wilson following the later screening. We’ve made the whole Q and A available online.

Citizenfour is the final chapter in a trilogy of films on the war on terrorism and the post-9/11 world. Laura Poitras presented the first two, My Country, My Country and The Oath, at True/False 2010, where she received our True Vision Award. A recent in-depth interview with Poitras in The Atlantic discussed Citizenfour as part of this broader work and Poitras’ motivations as a documentarian.

Don’t miss your chance to catch this vital film in the cinema.