December 14, 2013. Vancouver. A small grassroots filmmaking team is moving full steam ahead with its plan to produce a film about the life of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. But like all grassroots efforts, billionaire backers and corporate funding aren’t an option. With filming scheduled to start next month, the producers are only a few dollars away from making the movie a reality. You can help and become an associate producer or even an extra.
‘Classified: The Edward Snowden Story’ begins filming in January 2014.
Most Americans are familiar with NSA whistleblower and current exile Edward Snowden. The horrifying secrets of tyrannical abuse he exposed are still coming to light today. But most of us have only heard about the young man covering the time after he stole the NSA files and went on the run. Now, an ambitious team of documentarians are set to produce a full length film that details the life of Edward Snowden before he became a rogue agent on behalf of a global liberty movement.
Producer and Director
The two hour film is dedicated to bringing to light the series of events that lead Edward Snowden to be named TIME Magazine’s second most important person on Earth during 2013. Director Jason Bourque and Producer Travis Doering have teamed up to create this film and they’re 85 percent of the way to fully funding the project. With filming scheduled to begin in January, time is short to raise the remaining amount.
Both Bourque and Doering are experienced professionals when it comes to making films. Director Jason Bourque has directed over a dozen science fiction movies, more than 60 TV commercials, and he gained international acclaim with his documentary ‘Shadow Company’ featuring famed actor Gerard Butler.
Producer Travis Doering is no stranger to the spotlight either. He’s most recognized for his roll as a producer on the Canadian TV series ‘Hacked.’ He’s also worked as a white-hat hacker enlisted to test computer security at various entities and corporations. It’s that real world experience that has landed Doering consultant positions on the cable series ‘Continuum’ and the James Bond film ‘Skyfall.’
Classified: The Edward Snowden Story
‘Classified: The Edward Snowden Story is a biopic that will tell the story of Edward Snowden starting from the time he enlisted in the US army,’ the film’s website explains, ‘In this two hour feature, we will explore the events leading up to the release of classified information on the National Security Agency’s various surveillance programs.’
Filming is set to begin in January and the two men insist the movie will be paid for by individual donations from grassroots supporters rather than by Hollywood producers or corporate sponsors. In fact, for a $2,500 contribution, individuals can participate in the project as an official Associate Producer. The title comes with the opportunity to give creative feedback at the test screening and a listing in the film’s credits.
That’s not the only way interested readers can participate in the filming of ‘Classified: The Edward Snowden Story.’ For an $8,000 contribution, individuals will be awarded the title Executive Producer. They will be able to give creative feedback, be listed in the credits and will be given airfare to fly to Vancouver to be present during the documentary’s filming. For a way to participate that’s a little more affordable, and probably a lot more fun, individuals who donate $300 will be given a role in the film as an extra.
Promising potential donors full transparency, Bourque and Doering insist every penny of spending on the film will be published online. They also tout the fact that this is the first full length feature film to be funded and paid for with the new cyber-currency Bitcoin. With filming set to begin in only a few weeks, the team is hoping to achieve their $1 million funding goal by the end of the year. So far, they’ve raised an impressive $834,040.
In their own words
“Classified is a feature-length biographical film that tells the story of NSA leaker Edward Snowden,” the documentary’s director Jason Bourque explains. Producer Travis Doering adds, “Both Jason and I wanted to make this film from the moment we first read about the levels of mass surveillance involved in the NSA’s various programs.”
The two men go on to detail their hopes and reasons for making the film. “No government in the world should have the power to control the internet,” Doering begins. “This is the real reason behind presenting the issues in this form,” Bourque adds, “We want to bring this message to the forefront. People that may not read the news or keep up with current events will watch a movie. My hope is that the film will help inspire people to dig deeper and seek the truth.”
Jason Bourque and Travis Doering go on to tell supporters the best part. Once the two-hour Edward Snowden documentary is complete, the film will be made available to the public for free. Distributed under a Creative Commons license, individuals and organizations can legally watch, copy, distribute or post the documentary with complete freedom.
Filming is scheduled to begin in January and the final two hour film is expected to be released in November 2014. For more information or to find out how you can get involved, visit the documentary’s website www.Snowden.sx.
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