9 Awesome Movies That Were Shot In Secret

7. Citizenfour

The winner of 2015's Best Documentary Oscar, Laura Poitras' Citizenfour is an incredibly intimate, first-hand account of Edward Snowden blowing the whistle on the NSA's extensive surveillance practices.

Poitras was herself a pivotal figure in Snowden revealing his identity to the world, with the documentary including jaw-dropping footage of their first covert meeting in a Hong Kong hotel, and the major political upheaval that followed, paranoia and all.

The sheer nature of Poitras' investigation meant that her meetings with Snowden had to be filmed on the down-low. Once shooting was complete, Poitras moved to Berlin to edit the film after being put on an NSA watchlist, resulting in extensive security checks every time she crosses a border.

Citizenfour eventually released to rave reviews, tripled its budget and won that aforementioned Oscar.