Joseph Gordon-Levitt Made a Short Film With Edward Snowden About Technology and Democracy

Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is playing Edward Snowden in the upcoming feature film Snowden, and now he is directing Edward Snowden in a short film called Are You There Democracy? It’s Me, the Internet. The clip, which JGL posted to Twitter, plays like an optimistic AMA with Snowden addressing the question, “Is today’s technology good or bad for democracy?” and this guy has a strangely comforting camera presence for someone living in exile and who has been called a traitor to the United States. Snowden has become the director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and even though he’s camping out in Russia to avoid serving jail time back home for that whole NSA leak he carried out, the former intelligence operative has some very optimistic things to say about how technology will shape our future. Listen to his thoughts on advancements in sustainable energy, medical science, and liberty in the video below.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Directed Edward Snowden