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A Journey to Chernobyl
Directed by David Bickerstaff and Phil Grabsky
Poetry by Mario Petrucci
Video | 16:9 | 40 minutes
DVD available from Seventh
Art Productions
Half Life: a film for Chernobyl is a shortened version of Heavy
Water: a Film for Chernobyl.
On April 26th, 1986, reactor four at Chernobyl
nuclear power station explodes, sending an enormous radioactive
cloud over Northern Ukraine and neighbouring Belarus. The danger
is kept a secret from the rest of the world and the nearby population
who go about their business as usual. May Day celebrations begin,
children play and the residents of Pripyat marvel at the spectacular
fire raging at the reactor. After three days, an area the size of
England becomes contaminated with radioactive dust, creating a ‘zone’
of poisoned land.
Produced by Seventh
Art Productions and based on Mario
Petrucci’s award-winning book-length poem, Half Life:
a film for Chernobyl tells the story of the people who dealt with
the disaster at ground-level: the fire-fighters, the soldiers, the
‘liquidators’, and their families.
Poetry read by David Bickerstaff, Francine Brody,
Juliet Stevenson, David Threlfall and Samuel West.
List of screenings
10th EthnoFilmfest, Berlin
Rhode Island International Film Festival, USA - WINNER of Best Score
The Brighton Festival, 2007
Documentary Fortnight Extended, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, California - WINNER of Best Short
Documentary
StanZa Poetry Festival, St. Andrews, Scotland
London International Documentary Festival British Museum
2006 Green Film Festival, Seoul
DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Vancouver
13th Sheffield International Documentary, UK
IDA Docuweek 2006, Los Angeles
Calgary International Film Festival, Canada
Birmingham Book Festival, UK
51st Cork Film festival, Ireland
StanZa Poetry Festival, St Andrews, Scotland
Port Eliot Book festival
Britdoc 06
Hull Humber Mouth Festival
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