Laura Poitras is an American documentary filmmaker and journalist known for her work on issues related to surveillance, civil liberties, and government transparency. She gained international recognition for her film Citizenfour, which chronicles her meetings with Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked classified information about government surveillance programs. Poitras has received several awards for her work, including an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Citizenfour. In addition to her filmmaking, she is a co-founder of the online publication The Intercept, which focuses on investigative journalism and issues of privacy and security.