Details to come.

The Project for Nuclear Awareness proudly invites you to join us for the opening night screening of Countdown to Zero, this summer’s newest film about the global nuclear threat at the Ritz Theatre.

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Stay afterwards for a discussion and Q/A with advocates and experts on the nuclear disarmament issue, including:

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Todd Fine, Nuclear Weapons Policy Scholar, Researcher for Countdown to Zero
Mary Boardman, Assistant Director of the Project for Nuclear Awareness
Kim-Thao Nguyen, Co-Founder and Producer of DisarmTV

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When: Friday July 30, 2010  |  Screening begins at 7:45 sharp, with discussion to follow

Where: The Ritz at the Bourse Theatre, 4th and Chestnut., Philadelphia, PA 19106

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This event is full.  Thank you for your support!

Join PNA, our partners and supporters to for this great event!  This is a great opportunity to share your opinions and reactions to this major educational tool.

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ABOUT THE MOVIE

Countdown to Zero traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possess nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Written and directed by acclaimed documentarian Lucy Walker (The Devil’s Playground, Blindsight), the film features an array of important international statesmen, including Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair. Countdown to Zero makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament, an issue more topical than ever with the Obama administration working to revive this goal today. The film was produced by Academy Award® winner and 2009 nominee Lawrence Bender (Inglourious Basterds, An Inconvenient Truth) and developed, financed and executive produced by Participant Media, together with World Security Institute.

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SPEAKER BIOS

TODD FINE developed and established the “Global Zero” campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons as a Program Officer at the World Security Institute in Washington, D.C. He worked to create the core branding and policy positions of the campaign and helped co-produce Countdown to Zero, with Lawrence Bender and Participant Media, the same team that made An Inconvenient Truth. He is amagna cum laude graduate of Harvard University and holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He has written articles on nuclear weapons for diverse journals and magazines.

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MARY BOARDMAN has worked in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation for thirteen years.  She began her work in the field as a youth advocate, speaking about the importance of creating a security paradigm that does not rely on nuclear weapons.  Over the course of her career, she worked for the Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, the Global Security Institute, the Women’s Health and Environment Network and the True Majority Network.  Mary completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science with a concentration in Security Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and currently serves as assistant director with the Project for Nuclear Awareness.

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KIM-THAO NGUYEN graduated from The University of the Arts, where she studied Advertising and Professional Writing, while pursuing independent studies in illustration, graphic design, and social marketing.  Before joining the PNA team, she was the Creative Communications consultant for FAIR Fund (DC), where she worked on campaigns, branding, and copywriting for anti-human trafficking and sexual exploitation issues.  Her creative work has been published and performed for numerous national corporate businesses and nonprofit organizations.  At PNA, Kim offers innovation, insight and style in the supervision of programs development and execution, event planning, and artistic and cultural outreach.  Kim is also the co-founder of PNA’s youth disarmament network, Ban All Nukes Generation- USA, and produces the citizen-journalism web channel, DisarmTV.

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This event is co-sponsored by:

The Project for Nuclear Awareness
Ploughshares Fund
Ban All Nukes Generation
Coalition for Peace Action
Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility
The Prague Project

The Non-Proliferation Treaty Final Document was released by the United Nations on May 28, 2010.

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This document has both an excellent summary by the Conference Chairman, Philippine Ambassador Libran Cabactulan, and some revealing comments from the Conference Representatives from various states –both nuclear powers, and also many from non-nuclear weapons states.  This also includes members of the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) which played an increasing role in the Conference, and from other independent countries such as Japan, Australia, Canada, and Austria.

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Below you will a link to the Final Document, with PNA’s notes on several points.  While the Conference can be called a qualified success, it is only one step forward  in a journey of a thousand miles.

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However, some would argue that it was a giant step in that consensus was achieved among numerous parties who have never sat down and agreed with each other on substantive issues of this importance before.  And it is certainly a needed step, before the next steps can be taken toward the ultimate goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.  Finally, while several states such as Iran, Cuba, and Austria dissented in several points, none were moved to break the overall consensus on the three pillars of the conference, as described in the Final Document.

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Photo Credit: CRI English.com