CHINA: Hong Kong independent film-makers produce 'Verax,' the first short movie on intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, which has received over 150,000 views on the internet

Record ID: 570488

  • Title: CHINA: Hong Kong independent film-makers produce 'Verax,' the first short movie on intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, which has received over 150,000 views on the internet
  • Date: 5th July 2013
  • Summary: COMPUTER SCREEN SHOWING VERAX ON YOUTUBE VIEW COUNT AT 152,709 AS OF 0700 GMT VARIOUS OF SCREEN SHOWING VIEW COUNT DISTRIBUTION, WITH GERMANY TOPPING THE LIST FOLLOWED BY UNITED STATES, FRANCE, HONG KONG, CANADA
  • Embargoed: 20th July 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA1W15C6G9PT1ILFDI6A2T2V0MO
  • Story Text: The world's first short movie on fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has catapulted a group of amateur filmmakers in Hong Kong into the international spotlight.
    The five minute feature which was filmed over four days on a budget of $4,200 HKD ($542 USD) has attracted over 150,000 views on social media website YouTube, and has been featured on news outlets globally.
    Named after Snowden's alias, 'Verax' focuses on the whirlwind of Snowden's secretive stay Hong Kong, after he fled there from the U.S. on May 20.
    From the five star hotel Mira, Snowden leaked details of top-secret U.S. and British government mass surveillance programmes such as PRISM, to the press, primarily London's The Guardian.
    Freelance film-maker, Edwin Lee, sprang into action two days after a video interview of Snowden was posted on The Guardian website, revealing he was in Hong Kong, sparking a media frenzy.
    The former journalist said the group of four co-directors and co-producers debated creating a spoof or an action film, but instead opted for a more measured approach.

    "I guess the more we knew about Snowden, the more we kind of thought, you know he's kind of a sensitive topic. I mean, we don't want to do anything that kind of hurts him, or affects what he's trying to do. I mean we really respect Snowden for, I mean he's really brave for what he's doing. But at the same time we didn't want to twist his character too much, we try not to be too presumptuous," Lee said, adding that although they pored over all available information and articles, much of the dialogue and scenes were pure speculation.
    Lee said the news that Snowden had left Hong Kong for Moscow in the middle of their shoot on June 23, made the film a kind of tribute to his time spent in the former British colony where he initially said he planned to fight U.S. charges before leaving in mysterious circumstances.
    Shawn Tse, one of the co-producers and co-director, prepared his friend, American teacher Andrew Cromeek, for the role of Snowden with a dramatic make-over.

    "A lot of the things that he (Cromeek) did was just kind of imitating that whole boredom, right, boredom as a theme. And also, anxiousness, obviously, before the Guardian video. You see a lot of sighs, you see a lot of just empty kind of feeling, right," Tse said.
    Although the film has attracted attention worldwide from international media and online viewers, the film-makers said the film had not made them any money.

    "Honestly, we just did it for the love of film-making, and the fact that we had Snowden in Hong Kong. It was a great combo. But I mean, we, if anything, we lost money, you know. We physically did. But we don't treat it as a loss per say, I mean, we gained a lot in terms of exposure, experience, and we all bonded together a lot. And you know, that's something money can't buy. So that's our, kind of, gain out of it," Lee said.
    Taking advantage of the current interest in their film, Lee and Tse are combining their holiday plans with a little promotion - bringing 'Verax' to film festivals in San Francisco and Berlin this summer before embarking on their next project.
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