Cover-Up

Now in his late eighties and with a career stretching from 1969 to the present, American investigative journalist and author Seymour “Sy” Hersh is a living legend, having exposed some of the most consequential scandals in modern US history. With their powerful documentary, Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus honour a man who has devoted his life to uncovering the harshest of truths. Poitras had already tried to interview him two decades ago, but Hersh declined; now, with Obenhaus’s support, she finally won his consent. The film feels like a legacy—a chronicle of his relentless quest for accountability. We meet him in his paper-strewn office: sharp, caustic, and dry-witted. Questioned by the filmmakers, Hersh, an engaging storyteller, revisits his life: the son of Yiddish-speaking Jews expected to run his father’s dry-cleaning business, his path to journalism was anything but certain. Yet in 1969, he broke the story of the US-perpetrated My Lai Massacre in Vietnam. He later reported on Watergate, the “Family Jewels”, the Gulf War, Abu Ghraib, and more. Far from reverential, COVER-UP weaves together extensive material into a striking portrait of a man defined by integrity and civic duty. Defending free speech has never been more urgent. (Maria Giovanna Vagenas)

Laura Poitras (selection): MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY (2006), THE OATH (2010), CITIZENFOUR (2014), RISK (2016), ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (2022)