A Friday screening of Laura Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” in Toronto has been canceled. I’m looking into seeing exactly why. So far, it’s radio silence.
Is it a coincidence that this screening was scrapped after Poitras slammed Toronto and Venice for greeting Hilary Clinton and accused the former presidential candidate of “whitewashing” her sins?
Poitras still vehemently defends Assange, saying “nothing more serious that threatens the First Amendment,” because what the U.S. was trying to do was charge Assange for “publishing, for literally revealing war crimes in the U.S. occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Poitras’ 2016 doc “Risk” made the case for Assange. I applaud her for speaking out on these and many other issues. She’s using her Venice-winning fame to promote her noble ideals. She knows that repercussions could occur by saying these things, but she’s not backing down an inch.
This probably, maybe, ruins Poitras’ chances at an Oscar nom, but what does she care. She’d rather remain authentic and true to her art than succumb to any popular mainstream media sentiment. Laura Poitras is a genuine maverick.
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival last week. It’s the only film to appear at all four of the major film festivals this fall.