The Atom: A Love Affair - film screening

Film Screening:

The Atom: A Love Affair

'The Atom: A Love Affair’ is an ambitious, international documentary film exploring the West's rollercoaster relationship with nuclear power across more than 7 decades and 5 different countries, through the metaphor of a turbulent love affair. Narrated by actor & writer Lily Cole and featuring a wealth of original archive footage, it’s a tale of scientific passions and competing political imperatives, told by the scientists, engineers, politicians, regulators and campaigners who experienced it first hand.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with director Vicki Lesley.

Agenda

Doors open: 16:30

Introduction by director Vicki Lesley: 16:45-17:00

Film screening: 17:00-18:30

Panel discussion and Q&A: 18:30-19:15

Networking reception: 19:15-20:00

Vicki Lesley is a Brighton-based documentary filmmaker whose career spans almost 25 years. During that time she has developed and produced top-rated & award-winning TV documentaries for broadcasters in the UK and North America, including the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, History Channel, Discovery & National Geographic, as well as directing several independent short films which have screened at festivals around the world and online. Her debut feature documentary ’The Atom: A Love Affair’, was released in 2020 and is now streaming on Netflix. Her latest film as producer, ’The Nettle Dress’ , was released in September last year and enjoyed a sell out cinema run across the UK.

Panellists:

Dr Mark Wenman is a Reader in Nuclear Materials in the Department of Materials at Imperial College London. Mark is also Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Nuclear Energy Futures and Co-Director of the Centre for Nuclear Engineering. Mark’s research focuses on materials used in the nuclear fission and fusion, with a particular focus on metallurgy, and analyses phenomena including micromechanics, corrosion, and irradiation damage. Mark has made numerous media appearances, such as on BBC News and Channel 4, and helped to explain to the public a range of nuclear issues including breakthroughs in fusion power and the Zaporizhzhia crisis.

Zion Lights is a Science Communicator who is known for her environmental advocacy work and her vision for a high-energy, low-carbon future. She is founder of the evidence-based climate organisation Emergency Reactor and author of The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting. Zion has become a world-leading speaker on clean energy, and also lectures on effective science communication and effective climate action that isn’t at odds with human progress.

Camila Acre Derpic is a Business and Integration Architecture Analyst at Accenture, focusing on the Nuclear Area and having joined the company in June 2022. Prior to this, she worked as a General Coordinator for a Canadian-based mining company, contributing towards projects focused on economic growth and development following CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) principles.

Camila obtained her BA in Economics from Waseda University (Tokyo- Japan) and her MSc in Business with International Mgmt. from Northumbria University (London Campus- UK) with Distinction. Camila has experience with agile frameworks, analytics, project management and mentoring techniques, business analysis, and actively working in coordination/delivery projects.

About Energy Futures Lab

Energy Futures Lab is one of seven Global Institutes at Imperial College London. The institute was established to address global energy challenges by identifying and leading new opportunities to serve industry, government and society at large through high quality research, evidence and advocacy for positive change. The institute aims to promote energy innovation and advance systemic solutions for a sustainable energy future by bringing together the science, engineering and policy expertise at Imperial and fostering collaboration with a wide variety of external partners.

About the Centre for Nuclear Engineering

The Centre for Nuclear Engineering (CNE) is a cross-faculty centre promoting and co-ordinating nuclear energy research across Imperial College London in collaboration with key external partners. Our history spans back to just after the Second World War, and in the intervening time our researchers have made important contributions to the development of nuclear energy in the UK and overseas.