New movie about A-bomb creator Oppenheimer opens this weekend
A new film by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Dunkirk) premiers in cinemas on July 21, 2023. Oppenheimer is the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.
Our colleagues at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) say the release of biopic about Robert J Oppenheimer – leader of the Manhattan project – is driving a lot of questions about nuclear weapons, who has them and how they (continue to) pose a global risk of catastrophe.
They have prepared a fact sheet with some key things you should know before going to see the film.
For campaigners, ICAN has crafted an excellent assortment of flyers, social media shareables, and other materials.
“The release of the Oppenheimer film, and the wave of (media) attention surrounding it, creates an opportunity to spark public attention on the risks of nuclear weapons and invite new audiences to get involved in the movement to abolish nuclear weapons,” says ICAN.
“We can educate about the risks, and share a much-needed message of hope and resistance: Oppenheimer is about how nuclear weapons began, the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is how we end them.”
Four of the key proponents of the development of “the bomb” — Einstein, Russell, Oppenheimer and Rotblat — came to renounce the bomb and to work against its further use. They all initially believed its production was necessary to defeat or counter Hitler.