Ahead of the 2024 Oscars, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) launched its “Make Nukes History” campaign in Los Angeles, using the nominated film Oppenheimer to broaden the debate on nuclear threats.
As explained on the official NTI websiteThe campaign includes billboards, an art installation, street posters and an open letter signed by various stars, calling for an end to the use of nuclear weapons.
In a statement shared when the campaign was announced, Matthew Modine, who was part of OppenheimerThe cast of, writes: “Every person should be informed about the incredible destructive power of nuclear weapons. Understanding the threat illuminates a necessary path toward its elimination.
Modine adds: “Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been directly affected by radioactive fallout from hundreds of nuclear explosions carried out on American soil. Since the first atomic bomb test at Los Alamos, New Mexico, our entire planet has been in danger. We must stop this madness.
Also among those who signed the open letter are Jane Fonda, Tony Goldwyn, Michael Douglas, Alan Cumming, Bill Nye, Lily Tomlin, Julianne Moore, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Emma Thompson, Rosanna Arquette, Viggo Mortensen and grandson by J. Robert Oppenheimer, Charles Oppenheimer.
THE open letter bed : “Oppenheimer depicts the story of the origin of nuclear weapons, the history of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Oppenheimer's subsequent warnings against an arms race and the development of even more powerful weapons. Oppenheimer was right to warn us. Today, 13,000 nuclear weapons are held by nine countries. Some are 80 times more powerful than those who destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.”
He continues: “As artists and advocates, we want to raise our voices to remind people that although Oppenheimer it's ancient history, nuclear weapons are not. In an era of great uncertainty, even one nuclear weapon – on land, under the sea, in the air or in space – is one weapon too many. To protect our families, our communities and our world, we must demand that world leaders work to make nuclear weapons history and build a better future.
Christopher Nolan, nominated for best film chronicles the creation of nuclear weapons by the Manhattan Project and the emotional and political fallout for the people who built them. The cautionary tale is inspired by that of Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. biography on J. Robert Oppenheimer, American Prometheus. A few months before the film's release, the United Nations explained that the risk of the use of nuclear weapons was higher today than at any time since the Cold War.
The art installation, produced by cultural change agency TaskForce, will take place at the Original Farmers Market on March 8. According to the NTI, it “will be part of a community engagement program that gives passersby the opportunity to learn about the threats posed by nuclear weapons and join the call to end the global arms race . It will also feature “leading TikTokers with millions of followers” recording the installation live at the venue.