The article follows Laura Poitras and her work with documentaries. It begins with her role as a "documentary maker". She often times would blend in to her surroundings. Glenn Greenwald, a columnist Poitras worked with, described her as "completely invisible and yet ubiquitous". The article touches on her background and then proceeds to get into her early work.
Poitras traveled to Bagdad to go to the Abu Ghraib prison to document a visit by members of Bagdad's City Council. This was where she shot a scene of a Sunni doctor's interaction with prisoners. She also got permission from the doctor Riyadh al-Adhadh to report on his life in Bagdad. She eventually completed the documentary titled "My Country, My Country" which focuses on the shootings and violence that took place in their neighborhood. Her film premiered in 2006 and received an Oscar nomination for best documentary.
Poitras faced many accusations regarding her work on the story of the war's effects on the Iraqi citizens. For example, while working on her documentary (My Country, My Country) she stayed with the doctor and his family. Occasionally they'd go up on their roof to "get a sense of what was going on". Coincidentally, a group of insurgents attacked the neighborhood and killed and american while Poitras was on the roof "getting a sense of what was going on". Shortly after there was speculation that Poitras knew about the attack beforehand and went on the rooftop to remain out of harms way.
The article eventually touches on Snowden but I found her early work more interesting to reflect on because I'm interested in documentary filmmaking. I don't necessarily see myself taking on such controversial topics in such risky and dangerous environments but I find that how she got to where she is is something to consider.
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