We all remember about the recent Fukushima nuke leak, the 1986 Chernobyl tragedy, atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and other nuclear disasters that still remind us that our planet is in danger of being completely destroyed one day.
International Uranium Film Festival/The Atomic Age Cinema Festival, founded in Brazil and now being promoted in many countries worldwide, took place in Hollywood on April 27th. “The festival is dedicated to all films about nuclear power and the risks of radioactivity, from uranium mining to nuclear waste. It throws light on all nuclear issues”, as the official source says.
The event included the red carpet, Atomic Film screenings, a Nuclear Power Panel of Speakers and an after party. Actor Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore show), Ken Davitian (Borat), Eliza Dushku (Angel), Massi Furlan (The Dark Knight Rises), French model Jade Leboeuf, model and actress Dustin Quick (NCIS), Flamenco guitarist Medi Em, and Estella Sneider (radio host LIVE Today) joined the beautiful host Kate Kramer, daughter of the legendary film director Stanley Kramer and the founder of the Films That Change the World documentary series, as well as the panelists Mimi Kennedy, Harvey Wasserman, Loe Gossett Jr., Esai Morales and Libbe HaLevy for a film review and discussion. Everyone enjoyed watching the feature/documentary Award winning Danish movie The Man Who Saved The World (2014,) by director Peter Anthony. The film tells the story about Soviet Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov, who prevented a nuclear war in 1983 (during the Cold War Era between the Soviet Union and the US) by making a personal decision and refusing to follow protocol after receiving information that American missiles were heading toward his country. The information that Petrov’s team received on their computer wasn’t confirmed later. The colonel got recognized as a hero many years after. He visited the United States, made a speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, met with Robert De Niro, Matt Damon and his favorite actor Kevin Costner.
The former lieutenant colonel portrays himself telling the story from his own view. He talks about the difficulty of making the most important decision in his life. The theme of “a person versus the system” (especially when we are talking about the Communist regime) is something that the film director wants us to think about. Another important idea highlighted in the movie is “a Man and Mother Nature”. As the main character tries to go back to his roots, his family, his mother he hasn’t been close to for many years, the same way our humanity needs to reconnect with the planet Earth by destroying all nuclear weapons that already became the symbol of the modern civilization. No need to mention, Stanislav’s wife Raya dies from cancer, the modern “number one killer” caused by bad ecology.
After the movie, the panelists discussed the importance of social movement and fighting for shutting down all nuclear power plants, especially the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant located right here, in California. They explained the danger of the potential radioactive leak and the importance of discussing this problem in mass media.
The evening ended up with an after party where guests enjoyed food and drinks.
Photo by MSU Studio
