New Award for Young Nuclear Filmmakers

 The year 2023 concludes with a delightful surprise for the International Uranium Film Festival (IUFF) and aspiring film directors tackling the topic of nuclear power.

The California-based Samuel Lawrence Foundation (SLF) has generously donated a new award to the International Uranium Film Festival. This award, named the “Samuel Lawrence Foundation Award for the Best Young Filmmaker,” will be presented to the most outstanding film of the year directed by promising new talents, accompanied by a $1,000 cash prize.

“We express our profound gratitude for the donation of the Samuel Lawrence Foundation Award for the Best Young Filmmaker,” says the festival’s executive director, Márcia Gomes de Oliveira. “This marks a significant milestone for the International Uranium Film Festival and serves as crucial support and encouragement for young filmmakers dedicated to the challenging and essential topic of nuclear power and radioactive dangers.”

Radioactivity, being invisible and lacking in taste or color, poses unique challenges. Márcia Gomes states, “The creativity of young filmmakers plays a crucial role in bringing the consequences of nuclear power—from uranium mining to nuclear waste—to the public, ensuring that incidents like Chernobyl or Fukushima and the plight of uranium mining and nuclear weapons victims are not forgotten.”

Norbert G. Suchanek, the festival co-founder, adds, “Our special thanks also go to the Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS) in Chicago, which facilitated this valuable connection with the Samuel Lawrence Foundation. We anticipate a long and successful collaboration for the well-being of the Earth and its people.”

The 13th edition of the International Uranium Film Festival in Rio de Janeiro is scheduled to take place at Rio’s renowned Modern Art Museum (MAM Rio) Cinematheque from May 25 to June 1, 2024. Prior to Rio, the world’s film festival on nuclear issues embarks on a marathon tour across North America, featuring screenings in 11 cities, including Asheville (NC), Chicago (IL), Las Vegas (NV), Irvine (CA), Salem (OR), Santa Barbara (CA), Seattle (WA), Spokane (WA), Tucson (AZ), Vancouver in Canada, and the Navajo Nation capital Window Rock (AZ).

The Samuel Lawrence Foundation (SLF), established in 2010 in San Diego, actively promotes community engagement with creative endeavors and participation in issues of local and global scientific concerns. Additionally, SLF staunchly opposes the nuclear waste storage near San Onofre State Beach, dedicating substantial resources to addressing the challenge of radioactive waste improperly stranded at the closed San Onofre nuclear power plant.

“We persist in addressing the irresponsibility of the situation through vigilant scientific inquiry and community education critical in challenging an investor-owned utility,” says SLF President Bart Ziegler. “Ignorance is as much a danger as the nuclear risks we seek to resolve. Through our newsletters and social media, the public can also receive a continuous flow of digital communications to stay informed and involved with issues directly impacting our community’s well-being.” https://www.samuellawrencefoundation.org

The Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS) serves as Illinois’ Nuclear Power Watchdog, advocating for the end of nuclear power since 1981 and promoting sustainable, ecologically sound, and socially just energy solutions. https://neis.org

About the Festival

Founded in 2010 by the Brazilian social scientist Márcia Gomes de Oliveira and the German environmental journalist Norbert G. Suchanek, the International Uranium Film Festival (IUFF) is dedicated to all nuclear topics and the entire nuclear fuel chain, from uranium mining to nuclear waste, from nuclear war to nuclear accidents. For the past 13 years, the Uranium Film Festivals have been held annually in Rio de Janeiro and Berlin and in addition also in several other countries and cities such as Lisbon, New Delhi, Montreal, New York and Washington DC. Since 2016, when the International Uranium Film Festival was held for the first time at the famous Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles in collaboration with Hollywood star Kat Kramer, it has also been known as the Atomic Age Cinema Fest. The IUFF relies on voluntary work and donations from individuals and institutions.