Originally set for release last year, and having been privately screened at the Sun Valley Film Festival this spring, many figured Oliver Stone‘s “Snowden” would be a shoo-in for Cannes. And while it did screen for organizers, it didn’t make the cut.
READ MORE: Oliver Stone’s ‘Snowden’ Pushed To Fall, Festival Buzz Starts Building
“I saw ‘Snowden’ and it’s a really good film. It complements ‘Citizenfour‘ marvelously. It helps understand a lot of things, it’s a fascinating film,” festival honcho Thierry Fremaux told Screen Daily. “We’d have liked to have it at Cannes but the US producers — who also did ‘Spotlight’ – want to aim for the Oscars so for them a Cannes premiere was a little too early. It’s a different strategy but I respect that.”
Led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays the whistleblower, the star-studded cast also features Shailene Woodley, Nicolas Cage, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans, Joely Richardson, Scott Eastwood, and Timothy Olyphant in story of the man who blew open the NSA’s surveillance program. “Snowden” opens on September 16th.
