1989 / US / 141 mins / Dir: Joseph Sargent
Cast: Brian Dennehy, David Strathairn, Michael Tucker

Following the screening will be a Q&A with James Thackara, author of ‘America’s Children’, alongside Dr Rebecca Johnson, Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Acronym Institute and editor of Disarmament Diplomacy.

This Emmy winning, historically accurate drama tells the complex and moving story of the Manhattan Project.

The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. Racing against the Nazi war machine and enduring intense military and political pressure, Allied scientists wrestle with the challenge of creating the ultimate weapon. Before the bomb can be perfected, Hitler’s death and Germany’s surrender remove one enemy from the equation. But Japan remains. Day One builds quietly to a shattering climax, as the scientists who developed the bomb out of patriotic fervor witness its grisly consequences.

Leading the superb cast are Michael Tucker (L.A. Law) as Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard, David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) as mission chief J. Robert Oppenheimer, Brian Dennehy (Death of a Salesman) as General Leslie Groves, and David Ogden Stiers (MASH) as FDR. Also featuring Hal Holbrook (Mark Twain Tonight!), Hume Cronyn (12 Angry Men), and Tony Shalhoub (Monk).

Following the screening will be a Q&A with James Thackara, author of ‘America’s Children’, alongiside Dr Rebecca Johnson, Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Acronym Institute and editor of Disarmament Diplomacy. Dr Johnson is formerly Board Member and Vice Chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (2000-2006) and Senior Advisor to the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC), chaired by Dr Hans Blix (2004-2006).

Winner of 1989 Emmy for Outstanding Drama

‘Brilliant’ The New York Times

‘Superb performances’ Time Magazine