Few investigative journalists have exposed American power structures as thoroughly as Seymour Hersh, whose reporting on My Lai, CIA abuses, and U.S. intelligence overreach has reshaped the modern concept of accountability journalism. His legacy now anchors “Cover-Up,” a new documentary from Laura Poitras (known for “Citizenfour”) and Mark Obenhaus (known for “Steep”), arriving in select theaters this December before landing on Netflix on December 26. The first trailer has dropped.
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“Cover-Up” arrives with the kind of pedigree only a full fall-festival sweep can confer. The film world premiered at the Venice Film Festival, continued to the Telluride Film Festival, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is set to play the New York Film Festival — a rare circuit that signals significant nonfiction prestige.
Poitras and Obenhaus frame the documentary as a political thriller, following Hersh through decades of reporting that exposed a cycle of secrecy, violence, and institutional impunity. With exclusive access to Hersh’s personal notes and a trove of archival materials, the film traces both the impact and the psychic toll of chasing stories designed to be buried. It’s less hagiography than a vivid anatomy of process — how investigative journalism works, and why it matters.
Produced by Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, and Olivia Streisand, with executive producers Thomas MacWhirr, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Josh Braun, and Nick Shumaker, “The Cover-Up” frames Hersh’s work as a moral counterweight to American power, and a reminder of the costs when institutions fail to police themselves.
“Cover-Up” opens in select theaters this December and streams on Netflix December 26.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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