Atomic Homefront
A film by Rebecca Cammisa
ATOMIC HOMEFRONT shines an urgent and devastating light on the lasting toxic effects that nuclear waste can have on communities.
US | 2018 | 96 minutes | Color | DVD | English | Order No. 181224 |
SYNOPSIS
ATOMIC HOMEFRONT shines an urgent and devastating light on the lasting toxic effects that nuclear waste can have on communities. The film reveals St. Louis, Missouri's past as a uranium processing center for the atomic bomb, and the governmental and corporate negligence that lead to the illegal dumping of radioactive Manhattan Project waste throughout North County neighborhoods. Focusing on a group of moms-turned-advocates, the film follows the women as they confront the EPA, government agencies that are slow to provide aid, and the corporations behind the illegal dumping of dangerous radioactive waste in their backyards.
Both a harrowing indictment of institutional misconduct and a tribute to the heroism of mothers fighting to protect their families, ATOMIC HOMEFRONT is essential viewing for anyone interested in environmental grassroots activism, government and corporate responsibility, and the effects of nuclear waste on human health.
PRESS
"A calmly infuriating look at an environmental nightmare that will have many viewers wondering, "Why haven't I heard of this before?"
"Chilling. A deep dive into the history of the illegal dumping and government lethargy verging on indifference in the face of devastating and ongoing new evidence."
"A documentary about shameful institutional conduct and heroic individual activism, Atomic Homefront details the ongoing crisis taking place in North St. Louis County, Missouri. Compelling, infuriating."
"Gripping, impactful. Both a fiery indictment of systemic inaction and a tribute to the work of those battling for their families' safety."
"Powerful. Makes a timely and important contribution to the national debate on the risks of managing and permanently disposing of radioactive waste."
SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS
- Impact Docs Awards, Best Documentary Feature
- 2019 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, Domestic Television
- Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
- St. Louis International Film Festival
- Doc NYC
- Santa Fe Independent Film Festival
- DocuWest Documentary Film Festival
- Cinema St. Louis
- AFI Docs Film Festival
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Rebecca Cammisa
Rebecca Cammisa is a two-time OSCAR®-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker.
Her first feature documentary film, "Sister Helen" aired on HBO, and went on to win the 2002 Sundance Film Festival's Documentary Directing Award. "Sister Helen" also received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Cultural and Artistic Programming and an Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary Film Award nomination from the Directors Guild of America.
In 2003, Rebecca founded Documentress Films, teamed up with Mr. Mudd Productions, and directed and produced the 2010 OSCAR®-nominated documentary, "Which Way Home" for which she received a Fulbright Fellowship for Filmmaking.
"Which Way Home" was nominated for a 2010 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary and received four Emmy nominations. "Which Way Home" went on to win a News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Programming and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards Grand Prize.
In 2011, Rebecca directed and produced the HBO documentary, "God is the Bigger Elvis" which received a 2012 OSCAR® nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject; a 2013 EMMY® award nomination for Outstanding Arts & Cultural Programming; and a 2012 IDA Documentary Award in the short category.
Rebecca was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for Filmmaking, and began her next film "Atomic Homefront," which received numerous grants including a 2016 MacArthur Foundation Documentary Film Grant.
"Atomic Homefront" premiered on HBO in February 2018. (07/19)
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Four Wives – One Man
From Nahid Persson, the filmmaker of the award-winning Prostitution Behind the Veil, comes an intimate portrait of a polygamist family in a rural Iranian village. Persson reveals the intricacies of the relationships between the four wives, their husband, their astoundingly free-spoken mother-in-law and their numerous children. Sometimes humorous and often heartbreaking, this film follows the daily lives of the wives whose situation has turned them into both bitter rivals and co-conspirators against their abusive husband.
Persson’s camera unobtrusively and beautifully captures the range of the family’s interactions – from peaceful, pastoral scenes of a family picnic, to the temporary chaos caused by a broken faucet in the kitchen, to a furtive, whispered conversation between two wives about the latest beating. The women’s work – making bread, weaving carpets, milking and herding the sheep – provide the background to their frank conversations. Avoiding sensationalism and sentimentality, this film provides unique insights into the practice of polygamy and its effect on the women involved.
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