By Nobumasa Hiroi:

Ban All Nukes Generation USA and the Project for Nuclear Awareness are hosting a FREE premiere of Countdown to ZERO this Friday, July 30th at the Ritz at the Bourse Theater on 4th and Chestnut St, Philadelphia. Included with a free ticket is a $10 Ritz gift card for concessions. A limited number of tickets are still available. Visit www.projectfornuclearawareness.org or call 215 546 3030 for further information and to reserve your seat now.

“Our goal with this film is to make this issue something people will talk about and demand action,” said Lucy Walker and Lawrence Bender, the Director and the Producer of the film. Their goal matches ours perfectly, for we believe in the power of ordinary people, especially youth, when united in action. We look forward to having a rich and meaningful discussion on the future of mankind. The topic addressed in the film is truly universal. There is no one on the earth whose life is not affected by the existence of nuclear weapons.

The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Todd Fine, one of the researchers for Countdown to ZERO; Mary Boardman, assistant director of the PNA, and Kim-Thao Nguyen, the co-founder and producer of DisarmTV. DisarmTV will be conducting interviews with interested audience members following the film.

As a follow up to Countdown to Zero, PNA and BANG USA are leading a congressional education day on August 11th, meeting with five Philadelphia area Congress members to educate them on the issue of nuclear weapons, and the need for disarmament. A sign up sheet for those interested in attending will be available at the screening.

History is like a river and the people like water. The more people begin to voice their desire for the world without nuclear weapons, the stronger the current toward a nuclear-weapons-free world becomes. Once the current becomes strong enough, it will wash away any pebble and rock and even change the direction of the river. We strongly hope that this premiere and the discussion following would open many of our friends’ eyes and create such a current.

More about the film:
COUNTDOWN TO ZERO traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possess nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Written and directed by acclaimed documentarian Lucy Walker (Devil’s Playground, Blindsight), the film features an array of important international statesmen, including Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair. Magnolia Pictures is releasing the film in North America; HISTORY™ has North American broadcast rights. The film was produced by Academy Award® winner and 2009 nominee Lawrence Bender (Inglourious Basterds, An Inconvenient Truth) and developed, financed and executive produced by Participant Media, together with World Security Institute.

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