- Title: Edward Snowden film premieres in Hong Kong
- Date: 1st October 2016
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (September 30, 2016) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** REFUGEE FAMILY, LAWYER JONATHAN MAN AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST LEUNG KWOK HUNG, ATTENDING 'SNOWDEN' HONG KONG PREMIERE BOARD READING (English): ''SNOWDEN'' ASYLUM SEEKER FROM THE PHILIPPINES, VANESSA MAE RODEL BONDALIAN, WITH HER HUSBAND (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASYLUM SEEKER FROM THE PHILIPPINES, VANESSA MAE RODEL BONDALIAN, SAYING: "(Inaudible) asked some help to help Mr. Snowden. At that time, I really don't know who is Mr. Snowden is. After the next day, in the morning he asked me to buy English newspaper so I just found out who is Mr. Snowden: The world's most wanted man."
- Embargoed: 16th October 2016 01:15
- Keywords: US National Security Agency (NSA) Edward Snowden Hong Kong China
- Location: HONG KONG, CHINA / UNKNOWN LOCATIONS
- City: HONG KONG, CHINA / UNKNOWN LOCATIONS
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Film
- Reuters ID: LVA00151RFAYV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The new movie 'Snowden' held its premiere in Hong Kong on Friday (September 30) night.
The asylum-seeking family who, at one point, hid Snowden in their Hong Kong apartment after he fled the U.S., attended the premiere of the film, which tells the story of the former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) intelligence contractor turned whistle-blower.
"At that time I really don't know who is Mr. Snowden is. After the next day, in the morning he asked me to buy English newspaper so I just found out who is Mr. Snowden: The world's most wanted man," said Vanessa Mae Rodel Bondalian.
Snowden's lawyer in Hong Kong Jonathan Man pointed out his client was actually helped by people who were also stateless.
"What is important is that it reveals the myth saying that why, where and how Mr. Snowden was hidden in Hong Kong. At that time, now it is the secret now revealed this it is actually supported by a group of person who would not be so highly regarded or actually it's disregarded in Hong Kong, it's a group of refugees."
The movie was shot by US director Oliver Stone, known for his controversial revisions of key moments in American history and raising questions about U.S. government accountability.
Snowden leaked details about the US government's massive surveillance programs and was granted asylum in Russia, which borders Norway, after fleeing the United States in 2013.
Supporters see him as a whistleblower who boldly exposed government excess. But the U.S. government has filed espionage charges against him for leaking intelligence information.
"There should be more and more people like Snowden and comes out and confront. That is why Mr. Snowden risks his life to come out and confront it. So, in the end of the day, I think this kind of struggle or this kind of a single man trying to challenge the whole powerful regime, will happen again and again," human rights activist and legislator Leung Kwok Hung said.
This film is based on two books about Edward Snowden written by The Guardian journalist Luke Harding and Snowden's Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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