''Ground Zero'' is a 1987 Australian

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

- thriller about a cinematographer who, prompted by curiosity about some old film footage taken by his father, embarks on a quest to find out the truth about

British nuclear tests at Maralinga Between 1956 and 1963, the United Kingdom conducted seven nuclear tests at the Maralinga site in South Australia, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area about north west of Adelaide. Two major test series were conducted: Operation Buffalo in 195 ...

. It stars actors

Colin Friels Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is a Scottish-born Australian actor of theatre, TV and film and presenter Early life Friels was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland.Interview with Colin Friels, ''George Negus Tonight'' (ABC Television) ...

Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports * Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City * Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...

and Indigenous activist

Burnum Burnum Burnum Burnum (10 January 1936 – 17 August 1997) was an Aboriginal Australian sportsman, activist, actor, and author. He was a Woiworrung and Yorta Yorta man at Wallaga Lake in southern New South Wales. He was originally christened Harry Pe ...

Production and cast

''Ground Zero'' was produced in 1986 and released in 1987. IMDb, and the DVD release of the film, both credit Michael Pattinson and Bruce Myles as producers,IMDb
Ground Zero
Retrieved 27 February 2009. but only Pattinson is named in other sources.Gardner, Geoff (1995). 'Ground Zero', in Murray, Scott (ed.), ''Australian Film 1978-1994: A Survey of Theatrical Features''. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, Australian Film Commission and Cinema Papers. Pattinson went on to direct several other Australian feature films, including ''

Wendy Cracked a Walnut ''Wendy Cracked a Walnut'' (also known as ''...Almost'') is a 1990 Australian romantic fantasy/comedy film directed by Michael Pattinson and starring Rosanna Arquette and Bruce Spence. Plot Wendy is unhappy with her life and with her preoccupied ...

'' (1990), ''

Secrets Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

'' (1992), and '' The Limbic Region'' (1997). Myles did not go on to other directing, but acted in numerous subsequent Australian films, including '' The Bank'' (2001). ''Ground Zero'' was made for , and filmed on location in

Coober Pedy Coober Pedy () is a town in northern South Australia, north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there. Coober Pedy is ...

and Woomera in South Australia, as well as in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Sound for the film was created by a team including Roger Savage and Gary Wilkins, who had both worked on the ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic action film series and media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ''Mad Max 2'' (1981, released in the Unite ...

'' series of feature movies.Cinephilia
Review of ''Ground Zero''
. Retrieved 13 March 2009.

Context of the film

In the 1950s, the British government had conducted a number of nuclear tests at a site called

Maralinga Maralinga, in the remote western areas of South Australia, was the site, measuring about in area, of British nuclear tests in the mid-1950s. In January 1985 native title was granted to the Maralinga Tjarutja, a southern Pitjantjatjara Aborig ...

in outback

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It was subsequently demonstrated by medical evidence, witness statements and archive documents that during those tests, armed forces personnel and

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

were exposed to

nuclear fallout Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave has passed. It commonly refers to the radioac ...

that affected their health and reduced their lifespan. This led eventually to a major inquiry, the

McClelland Royal Commission The McClelland Royal Commission or Royal Commission into British nuclear tests in Australia was an inquiry by the Australian government in 1984–1985 to investigate the conduct of the British in its use, with the then Australian government's p ...

, which reported in 1985. The inquiry attracted a lot of publicity, and ultimately a deal was struck with the United Kingdom to fund rehabilitation of the test sites.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p249 ''Ground Zero'' was made immediately following this inquiry. While fictional, it explores the idea that the exposure to radiation of Indigenous people and army personnel may have been deliberate, or known about at the time and concealed. The political topicality of the film at the time of its release was reflected in the profile of some of the actors involved: Colin Friels has played a number of roles involving social activism, most notably years later in the Australian television miniseries '' Bastard Boys''; Burnum Burnum was a long-time Indigenous rights activist; while

had previously played a leading role in another film sharply critical of the British military: ''Breaker Morant''.

Reception and legacy

Despite its success at the 1987 AFI Awards, reviews of the film were mixed. Pointing out that the film contained elements of both action thriller and political commentary, reviewers were unsure that it did either with great success. However, Janet Maslin, reviewing the film for the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', wrote of "taut, clever conspiracy-theory thrillers, of which the new Australian film ''Ground Zero'' is a prime example". It was shown on Indigenous television station

Imparja Imparja Television (IMP) is an independent Australian television station servicing over , across six states and territories of Australia, states and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and V ...

'as a tribute' to Burnum Burnum after his death in 1997.

Cast

Awards and nominations

AFI Awards, 1987 *Won: Best Achievement in Cinematography *Won: Best Achievement in Editing *Won: Best Achievement in Production Design *Won: Best Achievement in Sound *Nominated: Best Actor *Nominated: Best Supporting Actor *Nominated: Best Director *Nominated: Best Film *Nominated: Best Original Screenplay 38th Berlin International Film Festival, 1988 *Nominated: Golden Berlin Bear

Box office

''Ground Zero'' grossed $178,576 at the box office in Australia.

References

External links

*
''Ground Zero''
at Oz Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Ground Zero (1987 Film) 1987 films Australian thriller drama films 1980s thriller drama films Cold War films Films about nuclear war and weapons * Films directed by Bruce Myles Films directed by Michael Pattinson Films scored by Chris Neal (songwriter) Films set in South Australia Films set in Melbourne Films shot in Melbourne Films shot in South Australia Australian action adventure films 1987 drama films 1980s English-language films