DOCUMENTARY RELEASE: "STALKING CHERNOBYL: EXPLORATION AFTER APOCALYPSE" — APRIL 26 ONLINE Q&A WITH DIRECTOR, EDITOR, AND CAST

"A vivid and compelling film... where a dose of adrenaline matters more than a dose of radiation."--Beyond Nuclear International

"Stalking Chernobyl: Exploration After Apocalypse" (2020) is a fascinating documentary from Cultures of Resistance Films that offers a unique portal into the clandestine culture that has developed around the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone three decades after the world's worst nuclear disaster.

"Chernobyl is a drug"--Chernobyl stalker

In addition to the explosion of officially-sanctioned tours to what has become Ukraine's top tourist destination, illegal hiking adventurers and urban explorers known as "stalkers"--along with extreme sports enthusiasts, disaster tourists, artists, and underground tour operators--enter "The Zone". Many defy state prohibitions to dodge checkpoints and security guards in order to explore the mysterious and ghostly post-apocalyptic landscape.

The documentary film is now available online to watch for free, and a special online Q&A with scientists, activists, and Chernobyl stalkers will take place on April 26th, International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. More info about the film can be found here: https://culturesofresistancefilms.com/stalking-chernobyl


WATCH THE MOVIE!
Following the global cancellation of large events and festivals during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Cultures of Resistance Films has made "Stalking Chernobyl" available online for free, which has seen over 10,000 views in its first week online. The 58-minute film is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/x3wcUbm2gp4 and on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/402625129

Subtitles are available in English, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Azeri, Slovak, and Polish.


JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL Q&A EVENT ON APRIL 26
On Sunday, 26 April 2020 at 17:00 GMT (13:00 EST), the UN-designated International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day, "Stalking Chernobyl" director Iara Lee will be hosting a live online Q&A session moderated by Jodie Evans, CODEPINK founder, with:
• Cindy Folkers, Radiation & Health Specialist from Beyond Nuclear International
• Sergii Mirnyi, scientist/tour operator from Chernobyl Tours
• Vitaly Servetnik from Friends of the Earth/Russian Socio-Ecological Union
• "Stalking Chernobyl" editor Dimo Petkov
• Oleg Shalashov, "Stalking Chernobyl" production coordinator and former stalker and tour guide
• Anton Fedorko, "Stalking Chernobyl" cameraman/explorer
• Dominik Orfanus, Yurij Syrcek, and Igor Pasko from the Chernobyl Welcome Tour Company
• Vladislav Voznjuck from the stalker/tour group DiggTour
• Serg Freeman, stalker
• Lucas Brunelle, extreme cyclist and creator of "Lucas Brunelle Goes To Chernobyl"

This live event is free but due to limited space, please register via Zoom here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/upwod-ivpzgiitbmxnYJFwVpvif0jNPtzg

The discussion will also be livestreamed to Cultures of Resistance's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CulturesOfResistance/ and YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/CulturesofResistance


MEDIA IMAGES
Please find high resolution photos here: https://culturesofresistancefilms.com/chernobyl-photo-gallery


CHERNOBYL BACKGROUND
On the morning of 26 April 1986, following a nuclear chain reaction and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, 49,000 people were evacuated in two hours, mostly from the nearby town of Pripyat, with just a few belongings, unaware at the time that even their descendents would be able to return to their homes. The original 10km (6 mile) exclusion zone was later increased to a 30 kilometre (19 mile) radius from which a further 68,000 people were evacuated.

The eventual death toll was estimated to be 9,000-16,000 fatalities across the European continent. Nuclear clean-up of the Zone is not scheduled for completion until 2065. The only other nuclear accident in history approaching the scale of devastation seen at Chernobyl was the 11 March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, which displaced 154,000 residents.

For more information about the debate about nuclear energy, see https://www.culturesofresistancefilms.com/chernobyl-nuclear-power


ABOUT THE DIRECTOR/CULTURES OF RESISTANCE FILMS
Iara Lee, a Brazilian of Korean descent, is an activist, filmmaker, and founder/director of the Cultures of Resistance Network, an organization that promotes global solidarity and connects and supports agitators, educators, farmers, and artists to build a more just and peaceful world through creative resistance and nonviolent action. Cultures of Resistance Films creates and distribute documentaries that advance public awareness about issues of social and economic justice and showcase creative efforts to promote peace and protect human rights. "Stalking Chernobyl" is the eighth full-length documentary from Cultures of Resistance Films.