In this edition of Meet Me at the Movies: Open Dialogue, Thomas Manning sits down with writer and director Susanna Fogel to talk about her film Winner, based on the real life story of Reality Winner, the famous whistleblower who leaked an intelligence report on Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential Election.
Emilia Jones as Reality Winner in WINNER. Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment.
Kerry Howley wrote the screenplay for this film, based on her New York Magazine article in 2017. Emilia Jones stars as Winner, with supporting performances from Kathryn Newton, Connie Britton, Zach Galifianakis, and Danny Ramirez. Winner premiered at Sundance 2024 and is now getting a theatrical release.
Clips are used by permission for commentary and review purposes. Manning is a registered film journalist and critic with various organizations.
Winner is distributed by Vertical Entertainment.
Official Synopsis:
Based on a true story, Reality Winner (Emilia Jones) is a brilliant young misfit from a Texas border town who loves her pink gun almost as much as helping others. After teaching herself Arabic in high school so she can be of service in the Middle East, Reality is recruited by the Air Force but quickly becomes disillusioned when she finds her morals challenged. After transitioning to a money gig as an NSA contractor, Reality stumbles upon government secrets regarding Russia’s election hacking during the 2016 Presidential campaign. Does she expose the truth or keep quiet? Ultimately, she decides to leak the truth leading to her trial and historic sentencing for espionage.
In theaters and on VOD September 13th, 2024.
Thomas Manning is a member of the NCFCA, SEFCA, and CCA, and also the co-host of the television show and radio program Meet Me at the Movies. He has served as a production assistant and voting member on the Film Selection Committee for the Real to Reel Film Festival. Additionally, he manages his own film review and interview site, The Run-Down on Movies. Manning is a graduate of Gardner-Webb University with a double-major in Communications and English. His passion for cinema and storytelling is rivaled only by his love for the music of Taylor Swift.
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Categories: Filmmaker Interviews
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