In one lifetime a nuclear-armed world emerged, and with it the potential for global destruction on a scale never before possible.
Directed by a former ABC network news executive producer,
In My Lifetime provides a comprehensive look at the full scope and impact of the nuclear age from its beginnings to the present day, including the international efforts by citizens, scientists and political leaders to reduce or eliminate the nuclear threat.
Through archival footage and contemporary interviews,
In My Lifetime portrays the history of the nuclear era and the complex search for "a way beyond". Filmed in Europe, Japan and the U.S., the movie features international voices from many perspectives and different parts of the history.
Manhattan Project scientists, former military personnel, and survivors of the first atomic bombs remind us how the nuclear age began -- and what we seek to avoid from happening ever again. Central participants and historians recount the major developments that followed: the U.S. – Soviet Cold War, above-ground nuclear testing, the Cuban missile crisis, the historic summits between Reagan and Gorbachev, the spread of nuclear weapons, and nonproliferation efforts.
Through this history, the film attempts to uncover the forces that brought us to the present number of nuclear-armed countries, and the obstacles – both political and human – that have blocked the world from reaching the solution all ultimately desire. An inside view of the debates at a recent UN Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference is especially revealing, clearly showing how difficult it is for the world to move beyond the nuclear status quo.
In My Lifetimechallenges viewers to learn from this history and find a way to accomplish what might seem like the impossible, because it is an absolute necessity.
ABOUT THE PRODUCERRobert E. Frye is an Emmy award-winning producer of network news programs and independent documentaries for over four decades. Frye was the Executive Producer of ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings in 1983.
HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY FIGURES IN THE FILMThe film includes archival footage of major historical figures, including: Leo Szilard, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Dwight Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, Robert McNamara, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Madeline Albright, Richard Perle, George Shultz, Ban Ki Moon and Barack Obama.
Among the new, contemporary interviews are (partial list):
Sergio Duarte, High Representative for Disarmament, United Nations Secretariat
Jayantha Dhanapala, UN Under Secretary General, Department of Disarmament (1998-2003)
Mohammed ElBaradei, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA), 1997-2009,Nobel Peace Prize, 2005
Vigdis Finnbogadottir, President of Iceland 1980 – 1996
Siegfried Hecker, Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1986-1997
Joseph Masco, University of Chicago, Author, Nuclear Borderlands
Shuntaro Hida, M.D., Hiroshima Survivor
William Potter, Director, James Martin Center for Non-Proliferation Studies, The Monterey Institute of International Studies
Ellen Wilder Bradbury Reid, Manhattan Project Historian
Richard Rhodes, Author, Pulitzer Prize Winner, The Twilight of The Bombs
Hugh Gusterson, Author, Nuclear Rites
Ola Dahlman, Nuclear Arms Control Negotiator
Rebecca Johnson, Executive Director, The Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy
Kennette Benedict, Publisher, The Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists
SPECIAL FEATURESThe film’s website includes regular updates on nuclear weapons developments and
additional resources, including historical chronologies, all nuclear arms treaties, relevant
articles, speeches, and links to books, publications and other information:
Nuclear World ProjectCARNEGIE COUNCIL FOR ETHICS IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
FEATURES FILM WITH DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & BIBLIOGRAPHY: