Today, I had the pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Smriti Keshari about her bold new documentary The Bomb. The bomb places the viewer in the middle of the story of nuclear weapons – the most dangerous machines ever built – from the Trinity Test in 1945 to the current state of nuclear weapons in 2016. It will explore the culture surrounding nuclear weapons, the fascination they inspire and the perverse appeal they still exert.
It will convey the impossibility of controlling this technology.
The bomb is about the immense power of nuclear weapons, their dark allure and ingenious technology, the computer systems invented to control them, the missiles and bombers built to carry them, the practice of denial and secrecy that perpetuates them, the societal and cultural influence of them, and the profound death wish at the very heart of them.
The film will have it’s world premiere at Tribeca this year (2016) April 23rd and 24th and, if you want to see it, you need to get your tickets now because they are selling out rapidly.
Due to her love of theater and live storytelling, Smriti created the project as a full 360 experience where the audience will stand in the middle of many screens, with a live band in the center playing the score, and give the viewers a totally interactive and immersive experience.
I grew up in the end of the Cold War and it was a real, visceral terror that came from the idea of nuclear war. The amount of information the government gave us during that time was, at best, laughable and at worst criminally negligent as to the utter destruction and total obliteration of not only humanity, but the world itself.
You’ve probably seen those photos of the children hiding under their desks as school, in the event of a nuclear attack, and while it may seem laughable to today’s standard and understanding, it was the real solution that they gave us back then to try to placate our sheer terror.
I’m excited to see this film in the full experience and I think you should really look into it if you are interested in history.
Be sure to check the film’s website out here: https://thebombnow.com/