''Building Bombs'' is a 1989 American

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

produced and directed by

Mark Mori Mark Mori is an American documentary filmmaker, television producer and screenwriter of documentary and reality television series and specials. He produced and directed '' Bettie Page Reveals All'', the authorized documentary film on life of pin ...

and Susan J. Robinson.

Summary

Building Bombs revisits the "glory days" of the atomic age, its legacy of nuclear weapons waste, and its troubling questions still unanswered. Insider stories and rare archival footage reveal the inner workings of one of the world’s largest nuclear bomb plants and its toll on the environment and human hearts. The film focused on environmental contamination and radiation safety issues at the

Savannah River Site The Savannah River Site (SRS), formerly the Savannah River Plant, is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reservation in the United States, located in the state of South Carolina on land in Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell counties adjacent to the ...

, located near Aiken, South Carolina in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Of historical interest, the film sparked a movement by ordinary people and rock stars, and contributed to a change in U.S. national policy regarding which federal government department exercised oversight of workers' and surrounding communities' health through health studies.

PBS

In 1993, ''Building Bombs: The Legacy'' was released on PBS' '' POV''. This edited version was 10 minutes shorter than the original film. Segments removed covered reasons for the nuclear buildup that were a subtext in the original release.

Accolades

It was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for Best Documentary Feature. The film was restored by the Academy Film Archive in 2024.

References

External links

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''Building Bombs''
at '' POV'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Building Bombs 1989 films 1989 documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about nuclear war and weapons Savannah River Site 1980s English-language films 1980s American films English-language documentary films