Films
HELEN'S WAR
Filmmaker: Anna Broinowski (released 2004, running time 52 min)
Dr. Helen Caldicott, firebrand anti-nuclear campaigner, celebrated author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is too alarmed to retire.
Certain that the White House's War on Terror is escalating the global nuclear arms race, she embarks on an explosive crusade across post 9/11 USA, armed with her fifth book, The New Nuclear Danger, and a furious determination to rally the American people against Star Wars and the new nuclear weapons labs before it is too late.
Tagging along is Caldicott's jaded niece, filmmaker Anna Broinowski, a post-punk fatalist who believes that nukes are inevitable - and wonders whether a straight talking dissident like Helen really can make a difference in George W. Bush's 'Land of The Free'.
Set against the volatile backdrop of the Afghanistan and Iraq invasions, Helen's War tracks Caldicott's roller-coaster tour as she vies with spin-savvy neo-conservatives for airtime, courts celebrity backers for her DC think-tank and battles to stop the bombing of Baghdad. We discover the vulnerable, humorous, passionate woman behind the crusade ... and what it really costs to fight for Peace (description from Ronin Films).
Winner of Best Direction (Documentary) at the 2004 Australian Film Institute Awards.
Winner of Best Documentary (Dendy Award) at the 2004 Sydney Film Festival.
Filmmaker: Mary Benjamin (released 1980, running time 60 min) ISBN: 1559742364
This award-winning film tells the story of pediatrician, author, and activist Dr. Helen Caldicott and her struggle to inform and awaken the public to the medical dangers posed by nuclear power. It is also an inspiring drama of how one woman meets the demands of being wife, mother, physician and involved citizen. Filmed between 1978 and 1980, during a critical period of debate about the future of nuclear energy, this film presents a vivid portrait of a woman who became a key international figure in the movement for nuclear disarmament (description from Direct Cinema Limited).
Nominated for 1981 Academy Award for Documentary Feature.
Filmmaker: Terri Nash (released 1982, running time 26 min) ISBN: 1559742208
This powerful documentary records a lecture given to American students in 1981 by Dr. Helen Caldicott, founding president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. In the film, Dr. Caldicott outlines the effects of detonating a single twenty-megaton bomb, and traces the development of atomic weapons from the devastating bombs of the 1940s to the even more dangerous, apocalyptic weapons of today. If You Love This Planet provides an urgent warning that time is running out - that unless we shake off our indifference and work to prevent nuclear war, we stand a slim chance of surviving. With current nuclear weapons proliferation among Third World nations and potential terrorist groups, Dr. Caldicott's following words have added poignancy: "You're going to have to change the priorities of your life if you love this planet" (description from Direct Cinema Limited).
Winner of 1982 Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject .
