Overview

• Playing out of competition, the Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus documentary chronicles Hersh’s path from My Lai to Abu Ghraib through archival footage, notebooks and interviews.
• At the Venice press conference, Hersh said the United States is in an “existential crisis” and asserted that President Trump seeks to avoid another election.
• Hersh said he intends to investigate President Trump but does not yet have the access he needs and is working on it.
• The Venice Film Festival billed the work as both a portrait of a relentless reporter and an indictment of institutional violence that reveals a recurring cycle of impunity.
• Early reviews highlight Hersh being treated as both subject and source, with Poitras challenging his claims, and Poitras said she views her nonfiction as art rather than activism.