Claus Biegert honored for his Life's Work

At this year's Uranium Film Festival, Claus Biegert, who founded the Nuclear Free Future Award and has been instrumental in the work of the Nuclear Free Future Foundation for 20 years, and Navajo activist Anna Rondon, who heads the New Mexico Social Justice and Equity Institute in New Mexico/USA, were honoured with the Honorary Lifetime Achievement Awards. The awards were presented to the two during the International Uranium Film Festival at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock.

Honoured for their life's work: Anna Rondon and Claus Biegert, Photo: Uranium Film Festival

‘Both Anna and Claus have been working tirelessly for decades to denounce the deadly risks of uranium mining and its consequences,’ says festival director Norbert G. Suchanek. Their motto: ‘Leave uranium in the ground’. Claus Biegert not only led the Nuclear Free Future Award for 20 years, but also initiated the World Uranium Hearing in Salzburg in 1992 and organised it with other activists. In 2019, he was editor-in-chief of the Uranium Atlas.

The other award winners:

Nuked by Andrew Nisker, Canada, received the Best Feature Documentary Jury Award.

Demon Mineral by Hadley Austin, USA, received the Best First Feature Female Documentary Jury Award.

SOS – The San-Onofre-Syndrome: Nuclear Power‘s Legacy by James Heddle, Mary Beth Brangan and Morgan Peterson, USA received the Best Educational Documentary Jury Award

Atomic Gods: Creation Myths of the Bomb by Adam Jonas Horowitz, USA, received the Best Mockumentary Jury Award.

Honeymoon in Oak Ridge by Joe Tripician, USA, received the Best Short Documentary Jury Award

Atomic Bamboozle: The false Promise of a Nuclear Rennaisance by Jan Haaken, USA received the Special Jury Award for tackling the current issue of new nuclear reactors

Building Bombs – 4K Restoration by the Directors Susan J. Robinson & Mark Mori and Producer Kirsten Larvick, USA, received the Special Jury Award for the restoration of an important historical documentary film that is even more timely than the recently released Oppenheimer movie.

Jadugoda – The Land of Magic by Satish Munda, India, received the Best Short Fiction Movie Award and the „Samuel Lawrence Foundation – Uranium Film Festival Award für den besten Nachwuchsfilmer“ verbunden mit einem Geldpreis in Höhe von 1.000 US-Dollar, gestiftet von der Samuel Lawrence Foundation (SLF).

Silent Fallout by Director and Producer Hideaki Ito, Japan, Assistant Producers Rieko Tomomatsu, Naomi Sakai, Sachiko Kamakura and Chieko Watanabe, Japan, received the Best Documentary Audience Award.

Honorable Mentions were given:

Atomic Reaction by Director Michele Hozer and Producer Bernie Finkelstein, Canada

Toxic NATO by Director and Producer Moritz Enders, Germany

Walkatjurra: Our Actions will never stop by director Francisca Silva Bravo, Co-Director and Writer Carole Risler and Producer Alessandra Cristina, Chile

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