Rivertown Film and ArtsRock present the local premiere, with discussion, of “Atomic Cover-up,” an award-winning first documentary by Nyack writer/filmmaker Greg Mitchell that tells the story of the US government suppression of motion picture film shot in Hiroshima and Nagasaki by American and Japanese film crews, told with their never before seen films and in their own words.
It was featured at 15 film festivals around the world in 2021 and won awards at of two them, and has been hailed by directors Alex Gibney, Rod Lurie and Alex Winter, and writers for (among others) NPR, The Atlantic, Esquire, and The Nation. The film, 52 minutes in length, was co-produced by Rivertown Film board member Suzanne Mitchell (no relation) and features Nyack resident Dennis Predovic as one of the three voice actors.
AS A SAFETY PRECAUTION THIS PROGRAM HAS MOVED ONLINE. Ticket buyers will be given a link to view Atomic Cover-Up anytime between Tuesday, January 12 at 6:00 pm through Sunday, January 16 at 6:00. Ticket buyers will receive a separate link to a Zoom discussion with filmmaker Greg Mitchell and ArtsRock’s Elliott Forrest, which takes place on Wednesday, January 12 at 7:30 PM. After January 12, ticket buyers will receive a link to a recording of the discussion (when available).
The Zoom discussion on Wednesday, January 12 at 7:30 includes filmmaker Greg Mitchell (bio below) and Atomic Cover-Up coproducer Suzanne Mitchell (depending upon her availability), moderated by ArtsRock artistic director and Peabody Award winning broadcaster Elliott Forrest. Presented during this discussion will be the first viewing anywhere of an extract from Greg Mitchell’s
just-completed second film, The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair. The film was edited by another local resident, Pascal Akesson and is narrated by Elliott Forrest. We will also see a trailer or clip from a Hollywood film about the atom bomb, “The Beginning or the End” (1947), the subject of Greg Mitchell’s recent book “The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood–and America–Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”
Greg Mitchell has written a dozen books and edited national magazines. He is the former editor of Editor & Publisher and Nuclear Times and was the second editor at the legendary Crawdaddy for most of the 1970s. His latest book is “The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films JFK Tried to Kill” (Crown) which has been optioned for a movie with Paul Greengrass attached. His other books include “The Campaign of the Century” on Upton Sinclair’s race for governor of California and the birth of media and Hollywood politics, which won the Goldsmith Book Prize; “Tricky Dick and the Pink Lady,” a NY Times Notable Book; two books with Robert Jay Lifton, one on the atomic bomb and the other on capital punishment; and “So Wrong for So Long” on how the media failed on Iraq. He recently served as co–producer on the acclaimed documentary film “Following the Ninth” on the political use of Beethoven’s 9th symphony, which sold out a screening at Rivertown Film that ended with flash mob performance of Ode to Joy. He is locally famous for his book “Joy in Mudville: A LIttle League Memoir,” about a season of Little League coaching in Nyack. He was a daily blogger on the media at The Nation from 2010 to 2014 and his articles have appeared in dozens of leading magazines and newspapers. Subscribe to his Substack blog HERE.
“Very powerful. Incredible unseen footage restored and the tale of the filmmakers who photographed the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” — Alex Gibney, Academy Award-winning director of Enron, Taxi to the Dark Side, Going Clear and others.
“What a great film and original concept. An absolutely crucial way to understanding all wars. Don’t be surprised if this documentary is a player at next year’s Oscars. If you are a history geek, or a documentary geek, or a movie geek… this one is for you.” — Rod Lurie, director of The Outpost, The Contender, others.
“Utterly haunting. You’ll never forget the opening scene: Japanese survivors singing ‘Silent Night’ in the ruins of a bombed-out Nagasaki cathedral. Must watch. Please watch. You’ll be glad you watched.” — Joan Walsh, The Nation
“Greg Mitchell has done a great service to history in uncovering some of the most remarkable — and supremely sad — video journalism of the 20th Century. More than a movie, a legitimate historical document of almost unspeakable acts of war.” — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire magazine.
“So moving, disturbing and important.” — Alex Winter, director of The Panama Papers, Show Biz Kids and others, co-star of Bill & Ted movies.
“I admire it — excellent work on an essential topic.” — David Sterritt, legendary Christian Science Monitor critic, now editor of Quarterly Review of Film & Video
“Everything I’ve ever seen from Greg Mitchell has shown me something I didn’t know or given me a fresh perspective on something I thought I already understood. And this is such a compelling subject.” — Ron Brownstein, The Atlantic and CNN
“After writing three books on the topic, Mitchell finally obtained the film footage that America’s leaders didn’t want you to see. It demands to be seen.” — Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer
“I consider Atomic Cover-Up to be essential viewing. If I had my way, I would add it to the civics curriculum for all high school seniors in the country.” — Scott Horton, contributing editor, Harper’s magazine, author of Lords of Secrecy
“That scene in the cathedral….” — Rosanne Cash, singer-songwriter and award-winning author.
“My dad was among the first Americans into Nagasaki after the A-bomb. He told us squat. After watching Atomic Cover-Up, I understand why Dad wouldn’t tell us kids. Thanks, Greg Mitchell.” — David Beard, executive editor, National Geographic
“A powerful and important documentary — extraordinary use of long-suppressed footage from Hiroshima & Nagasaki after the US dropped the Atomic bomb.” — Nina Bernstein, longtime New York Times investigative reporter.