EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based mk2 Films has boarded sales on Laura Poitras’ latest documentary Cover-Up ahead of its world premiere Out of Competition at the upcoming Venice Film Festival.
Anticipation is high on the Lido for the work following Poitras’ last trip to the Italian festival in 2022, which saw her win the Golden Lion for All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, following artist Nan Goldin’s campaign to expose the establishment roots of the U.S. opioid crisis.
Made in collaboration with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and producer Mark Obenhaus, Cover-Up offers a timely portrait of legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, whose fearless reporting exposed some of the darkest secrets of U.S. history, from the My Lai massacre to Abu Ghraib torture.
Both a personal portrait and a broader reflection on the role of journalism in democratic society, Cover-Up examines the ethical tensions and grit of Hersh’s work in an age increasingly defined by disinformation, offering a poignant reflection that echoes the complexities of our present moment, marked by fragile truths, political unrest, and the enduring struggle for press freedom.
As it launches sales, mk2 films has also unveiled a first clip for the documentary showing how Hersh himself is not the easiest interviewee.
Cover-up comes just over a decade after Poitras’ breakout, Oscar-winning work Citizenfour, which saw the documentarian also touch on the role of investigative journalism in exposing truth as she flew to Hong Kong with journalist Glenn Greenwald’s to meet NSA spying scandal whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The sales acquisition marks the first time mk2 Films has worked with Poitras.
“We’ve been longtime fans of Laura’s work. She crafts eye-opening narratives around the unsung heroes who uncover shocking truths. In Cover-Up, that unsung hero is Seymour Hersh, and we wanted to be part of this story that resonates ever so powerfully today,” said Fionnuala Jamison, Managing Director of mk2 Films.
The company will also be present at Venice with Kent Jones’ Late Fame, starring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee, which world premieres in Orizzonti. It is written by Academy Award-nominated Samy Burch and produced by multiple award-winning Killer Films, premiering in Orizzonti.
The Venice presence follows a high-profile 2025 Cannes Film Festival for mk2 Films, where its slate won nine awards across the main sections, including the Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident, the Grand Prix for Sentimental Value, and Best Director for The Secret Agent.
The post MK2 Films Launches Sales On Laura Poitras’ Venice-Bound Doc ‘Cover-Up’ & Unveils First Clip appeared first on Deadline.
