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Alex Gibney: We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks

June 13, 2013

An Eastern Region Special Projects Committee Documentary Series Q&A in New York

The creation of Julian Assange’s controversial website and how it led to the largest security breach in U.S. history is detailed in Director Alex Gibney’s latest documentary feature, We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks.

The film follows the rise and fall of Assange who is viewed by some as a free-speech hero and by others as a traitor. It also parallels the case of Pfc. Bradley Manning, the young soldier who downloaded hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. military and diplomatic documents and revealed the hidden workings of the government’s international diplomacy and military strategy.

Following the June 12 DGA membership screening in New York, Gibney discussed the making and aftermath of We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks with Director Dan Algrant (Greetings from Tim Buckley) in a conversation hosted by the Eastern Region Special Projects Committee's Documentary Series.

Gibney’s other films include Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson; Freakonomics; and My Trip to Al-Qaeda. He was nominated for the DGA’s Documentary award for his features Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer and Taxi to the Dark Side. He won the Academy Award for Taxi to the Dark Side and was also Oscar-nominated for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.

Gibney has been a DGA member since 1998.

Pictures & Video

photos by Marcie Revens/print courtesy of Focus Features
View slideshow
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FULL TALK (31:56): Alex Gibney discusses his new documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks with Dan Algrant. Running time: 32 min.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Director Alex Gibney describes his attempts to get Julian Assange‘s cooperation with the documentary, and how he ultimately used older footage of Assange to tell his story.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Gibney talks about how he approached the challenge of bringing Bradley Manning‘s online chats to the screen in the most visually interesting way possible.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Gibney discusses the complicated life of Bradley Manning, one of the documentary‘s main characters.
Director Alex Gibney chats about his new documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks with Director Dan Algrant (moderator).
Director Alex Gibney chats about his new documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks following the DGA screening in New York.
Director Dan Algrant (moderator) asks a question about the making of We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks.
Directors Alex Gibney and Dan Algrant (moderator) take a question from the DGA audience in New York.
The DGA screening audience member learns about the making of Director Alex Gibney’s We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks.
Director Alex Gibney chats with members of the audience after the Q&A.

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