White Light/Black Rain
the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

A new film by Academy Award winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki

[0]When General Dwight Eisenhower oversaw the departing US troops in a war-ravaged European theater, he gave a stark order to his men. To those who met the survivors of German Death Camps he said: use up all the film in your cameras, take every picture you can, because someday, someone will deny this ever happened. In like manner, a multitude of cameras captured images of the atomic wastelands in Japan, though these are less familiar. How long will it be before the realities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are relegated to myth?

“White Light Black Rain” bears witness to the terror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Today’s nuclear threat makes it imperative that we understand the tragic but inspirational stories of the Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bomb. The feature documentary, produced for HBO Documentary Films, interweaves the Hibakusha narrative with declassified footage that brings present nuclear dangers into sharp focus. “White Light Black Rain” is a wake-up call and an invitation to take action to abolish nuclear weapons.

As we mark the 62nd anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States and Russia retain the capacity to launch massive nuclear attacks at a moment's notice, and nuclear proliferation is on the rise. The first and only use of nuclear weapons in war destroyed two cities, killing more than 200,000 people by the end of 1945. The violence of these original atomic bombs continues to this day due to the long-lived nature of the radiation they unleashed. Cancers and birth defects are still being documented six decades after the bombs were dropped. For the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the effects of nuclear weapons live on through memory and ill health. Yet the power of the Hibakushas’ witness can inspire action for disarmament.

We are encouraging the use of Steven Okazaki's powerful new film to create increased awareness about the reality of nuclear weapons in the world today. The United for Peace and Justice Nuclear Disarmament Working Group has compiled this discussion guide for use in community screenings and house parties to help people discover how they can become a part of the global movement for nuclear abolition. We invite you to join us.

DOWNLOAD DISCUSSION GUIDE [0] (pdf)