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DOWNWIND

Hiroshima. Nagasaki. Mercury, Nevada? The latter was the site for the testing of 928 large-scale nuclear weapons from 1951 to 1992. Martin Sheen narrates this harrowing exposé of the United States' disregard for everyone living… downwind.

  • Mark Samuel Shapiro
    Director
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3775909/
  • Douglas Brian Miller
    Director
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3194070/
  • Backlot Docs
    Director
    Downwind, The Invisible Enemy, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, Coraline, Monster Diversity Leadership Program
  • Mark Samuel Shapiro
    Writer
  • Warren Etheredge
    Writer
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0262048/
  • Mark Samuel Shapiro
    Producer
  • Warren Pereira
    Producer
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2795679/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
  • Michael Douglas
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000140/
  • Martin Sheen
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000640/
  • Lewis Black
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0085400/
  • Patrick Wayne
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915618/
  • Matthew Modine
    Executive Producers
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000546/
  • Adam Rackoff
    Executive Producers
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3056520/
  • Mark S Shapiro
    Backlot Docs
    DOWNWIND
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Environment, Government, Native American Land Rights, Military Expansion, Nuclear Weapons, Independent, Nature, War, Historical
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 36 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 18, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Slamdance Film Festival
    Park City, Utah
    United States
    January 23, 2023
    World Premiere
    Spotlight Screening - World Premiere
  • Heartland International Film Festival
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    Indiana Premiere
  • Sedona International Film Festival
    Sedona, Arizona
    Arizona Premiere
  • Cordillera International Film Festival
    Reno/Tahoe, Nevada
    United States
    July 29, 2023
    Nevada Premiere
    Best Documentary Feature
  • Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
    Melbourne, Australia
    Australia
    July 1, 2023
    Australia Premiere
    Best Environmental Documentary
  • Santa Fe Film Festival
    Santa Fe, New Mexico
    Best Documentary Feature
  • International Uranium Film Festival
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Brazil
    February 19, 2023
    Brazil Premiere
    Best Documentary Feature
  • Coronado Island Film Festival
    Coronado, California
    San Diego Premiere
  • Ora!Fest
    Puglia, Italy
    Italy
    June 4, 2023
    Italy Premiere
  • Tokyo International Short Film Festival
    Tokyo, Japan
    Japan Premiere
  • Orlando Film Festival
    Orlando, Florida
    United States
    November 1, 2023
    Florida Premiere
    Best Documentary Feature
  • United Nations Association Film Festival
    Palo Alto, California
    Bay Area Premiere
  • Crested Butte Film Festival
    Crested Butte, Colorado
    Colorado Premiere
  • Topanga Film Festival
    Los Angeles, California
    Spotlight Premiere
  • Blue Water Film Festival
    San Diego, California
    Best Documentary Feature
  • Riviera International Film Festival
    Sestri Levante, Italy
    Riviera Premiere
  • PFCAT
    Portland, Oregon
    Portland Premiere
  • Docs Without Borders
    Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
    Spotlight Premiere
  • Nature Without Borders International Film Festival
    Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
    Spotlight Premiere
  • Vashon Island Film Festival
    Vashon Island, Washington
    Seattle Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Gravitas Ventures
    Distributor
    Country: United States
Director Biography - Mark Samuel Shapiro, Douglas Brian Miller, Backlot Docs

In his role in film marketing for the animation studio LAIKA from 2007-2019, Mark (right) worked on the publicity campaigns for five Oscar-nominated feature films: CORALINE, PARANORMAN, THE BOXTROLLS, KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS and MISSING LINK. Before LAIKA, he managed community affairs communications for Nike and also worked for Monster.com's Diversity Leadership Program. He has served as a Mentor in Publicity and Marketing for SxSW Film. Mark curates animated film programming at festivals around the world. A native of Seattle, Mark attended Emerson College and received his BA (English) from Colorado College. He completed education studies at Lewis & Clark College. He is a partner and co-founder of Metolius Marketing, LLC where his client list includes Baobab Studios.

Douglas Brian Miller (left) is an award-winning DP. Credits include: WHY DID YOU KILL ME? (Netflix True Crime Documentary), THE GREED OF MEN, COMIX, BEYOND THE COMIC BOOK PAGES and RUSH LIGHTS Lights. More information: https://vimeo.com/douglasbrianmiller

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Our film DOWNWIND takes you through an infamous, harrowing era in United States history. The film exposes the devastating radioactive impact on people and the environment from 928 large-scale nuclear weapons tests on American soil. Many of the atomic blasts had larger yields than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Combined. Stigmatized and silenced downwind communities in the American West -- including Native Americans, cowboys and Mormons -- were unsuspecting targets of relentless atomic testing and lethal fallout.

DOWNWIND tells the inspirational stories of people who have summoned the courage to be heard and to hold the US government accountable to protect and compensate individuals impacted by nuclear testing. Exposure to radioactive fallout can lead to cancer, genetic damage and other life-altering diseases for generations. A hope for this film would be to mobilize US leaders and Congress to stop future atomic testing and to amend and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) which provides needed funding for victims of fallout exposure. Though recently extended, RECA legislation will expire in 2024.