There's only one day left in the New York Film Festival, but after yesterday's premiere of one of the most anticipated documentaries of this year, one could suppose that late in the festival doesn't mean less important.

"Citizenfour," a documentary that focuses on Edward Snowden, had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival yesterday. Critics are not only impressed with the composition of the film, but also its humanization of the subject matter. Specifically, the documentary is reported to follow Snowden's personal life from the time he revealed the NSA privacy breach up until his new life in Hong Kong and Moscow.

Journalist and filmmaker Laura Poitras told Salon about how she came in contact with Edward Snowden. It all started with an anonymous email.

"So that's where I'm not going into a lot of details, but sort of ongoing correspondence. I didn't know, I didn't have any biographical details or where he worked, had no idea. He made claims and said he had documentation. At that point it was all completely theoretical, but I had a feeling it was legit," Poitras said.

From that point on it was suddenly a race against time and discovery to document the man behind one of the most politically divisive issues during the Obama Administration. Edward Snowden has become a hero for some and a traitor for others. Poitras documentary of him however paints him as a human as he struggles with life after exposing the NSA surveillance. According to Deadline, "Citizenfour" also reveals some of his time living in Moscow and Hong Kong.

The Guardian states that Poitras makes "Citizenfour" "crackle with the nervous energy of revelation," implying that the documentary is engaging as much as it is humanizing of Edward Snowden. After such a successful premiere, perhaps Laura Poitras' documentary will not only gain widespread theatrical release, but maybe hit the fast track for this year's Best Documentary Oscar race.