British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Heavy Water: A Film for Chernobyl

Synopsis
Based on Mario Petrucci’s award-winning book-length poem, the film tells the story of the people who dealt with the disaster at ground-level: the fire-fighters, the soldiers, the ‘liquidators’, and their families. Petrucci’s poetry forms the backbone of the film’s narrative. The poems are cut together with revealing archive and evocative location footage of the ghost-town of Pripyat and the surrounding exclusion zone.
Poetry read by David Bickerstaff, Francine Brody, Juliet Stevenson, David Threlfall and Samuel West. Directors Phil Grabsky and David Bickerstaff travelled to Ukraine and into the exclusion zone to film the deserted town of Pripyat and the interior of the destroyed reactor. Their film, rather than relating the technical details of the world’s biggest ever industrial accident, emphasises the effect of the disaster on the people of Chernobyl.
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Year of release
2006
Subjects
Social Studies; Environmental science; Film studies
Keywords
Chernobyl; environmental disasters; nuclear reactors; poetry

Credits

Director
David Bickerstaff; Phil Grabsky
Contributor
David Threlfall; Francine Brody; Juliet Stevenson; Samuel West

Distribution Formats

Type
DVD
Format
Region 0 PAL
Price
£20.00
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
52 minutes
Year
2015

Distributor

Name

Seventh Art Productions

Email
info@seventh-art.co.uk
Web
http://www.seventh-art.co.uk External site opens in new window
Phone
01273 777678
Address
63 Ship Street
Brighton
BN1 1AE
Notes
Seventh Art specialises in producing television programmes and films on history and the arts, under the direction of award-winning documentary filmmaker Phil Grabsky. There are several series on aspects of the history of art, presented by Tim Marlow, as well as programmes on the life and work of Mozart and Beethoven and figures from ancient and more recent history such as Nero and Nelson. Sale on DVD.

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