3MSP Event: Film Screening of ‘Silent Fallout’ and Panel Discussion at Columbia University

On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) and Reverse the Trend (RTT) hosted a powerful film screening of Silent Fallout, directed by Japanese filmmaker Hideaki Ito, at Columbia University. The event aimed to shed light on the far-reaching impacts of nuclear testing, focusing on the exposure of U.S. communities to fallout from American nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in the Southwest U.S.

The screening was followed by a panel discussion featuring Dr. Ivana Hughes, Shiho Burke, and Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe. The panelists shared their expertise and reflections on the ongoing effects of nuclear fallout and the importance of acknowledging and addressing its long-term consequences.

In the film, Mary Dickson, a downwinder (a victim of radiation from the Nevada test site), watches as her community, family, and her own body suffer health issues such as cancer from the lingering radiation. Despite the U.S. government’s claims that there were no health risks following the explosions, these downwinders serve as proof that nuclear weapons testing has devastating impacts on communities. As Mary Dickson poignantly says, “My body is my proof.” During the panel discussion, Shiho Burke shared the perspective of Director Ito, quoting, “I refuse to accept a world where we aim nuclear weapons at each other…And ultimately die on the radiation-contaminated planet.”

The evening served as an important reminder of the lasting impacts of nuclear testing on human health and the environment, reinforcing the call for continued advocacy for nuclear justice and disarmament.