Check out yesterday’s New York Times’ review of Countdown to Zero, a film being released this week that seeks to do for nuclear weapons what An Inconvenient Truth did for global warming. While that’s a tall order, both films were produced by Lawrence Bender, so there is hope.
In the wake of the first film’s spectacular success (an Oscar and $50 million in box office sales, not to mention playing a large part in Al Gore’s 2007 Nobel Peace Prize), Bender was inundated with pitches for films advocating other social issues. The one that won out was effectively The Inconvenient Truth About Nuclear Weapons, but Countdown to Zero is a catchier title.
Last April I was privileged to host a pre-screening of Countdown here at Stanford and the audience was deeply moved. To learn more:
- See the movie trailer and other information. (Be patient while the trailer loads. At first it may seem blank.)
- See a schedule of opening dates in selected cities and theater locations.
- Read the Discussion Guide that goes with the movie.
If you live near one of the openings, I hope you’ll both attend and encourage others to join you. As noted in the Discussion Guide, getting a group to attend and then meet to discuss the film is very effective. In fact, once you really take in the inconvenient truth about nuclear weapons, working with others to change our course may be required to maintain your sanity.
Defusing the Nuclear Threat 