Katharine “Kat” Kramer, producer of Kat Kramer’s Films That Change The World, will celebrate the film series’ Fifth Anniversary on Wednesday, November 13, 2013 by presenting a one night only screening of the North American Premiere of FALLOUT, the new critically acclaimed documentary film about Nuclear Holocaust produced by Rough Trade Pictures in association Screen Australia and Film Victoria.
FALLOUT explores the mythology and reality of international bestselling novelist’s, Nevil Shute’s On The Beach and Stanley Kramer’s film adaptation of the novel, which was filmed in Melbourne, Australia in 1959 starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins and Donna Anderson.
The film screening with be preceded by Keynote Speaker for the evening, Dr. Helen Caldicott, a renowned Anti-Nuclear Activist who was the subject of the 1982 Academy Award-winning documentary short film, If You Love This Planet. Dr. Caldicott will be introduced by a special surprise high profile guest.
Following the screening of the film, Katharine “Kat” Kramer will moderate a Panel Discussion with Dr. Helen Caldicott, actress Donna Anderson (who appeared in the movie, On The Beach and in FALLOUT), Louis Gossett, Jr. (Academy Awardâ-winning actor, An Officer And A Gentleman), Ric O’Barry (who appeared in the Academy Award-winning film, The Cove), Karen Sharpe Kramer (Golden Globe Award-winning actress for Most Promising Newcomer – Female in 1955 who appears in FALLOUT) and Heather Mayfield (the daughter of novelist Nevil Shute who appears in FALLOUT).
Katharine “Kat” Kramer said: “I am very excited to present Dr. Helen Caldicott as the Keynote Speaker on the Fifth Anniversary of my film series. I believe this year’s film and discussion will be very informative and insightful, most particularly for students, educators and film buffs who have an interest in the subject matter of the film which address nuclear awareness and disarmament.”
Other VIPS who will be in attendance at the event include: Ed Asner, George Chakiris, Mike Farrell, Pete Hammond, Marsha Hunt, Rick Overton, Mark Rydell, Lily Tomlin, Beverly Todd and Glynn Turman. Honorary Event Committee Members include: Ed Begley, Jr., Harrison Ford, Sharon Stone and Billy Bob Thornton.
Although this event is primarily a film industry salon, a limited number of free tickets will be available to the general public on a first come, first served basis by calling KNK Productions Inc. in advance at 818-760-3106, or E-mailingknkproductioninc@cs.com. Everyone must be on the guest list in advance for admittance into the actual event, due to limited seating. The event will be held at the Cannon USA, Inc. Screening Room, adjacent to the Stanley Kramer Screening Room, located on the Sunset-Gower Studios’ lot, where Stanley Kramer once filmed 15 of his 35 movies when the studio was known as Columbia Pictures. This event is also being held in celebration of Katharine “Kat” Kramer’s father, the late award-winning producer/director Stanley Kramer’s Centennial birth year. To learn more, please visit www.stanleykramer100.com.
The Cannon USA, Inc. Screening Room is located at 6060 Sunset Boulevard (near Gower Street), Hollywood, CA 90028. Arrivals will begin at 6:00 pm., followed by a Reception at 6:30 p.m., with the Program commencing at 7:30 p.m. Following the Panel Discussion, Dr. Helen Caldicott will be available to sign copies of some of her books, including “Loving This Planet,” “A Desperate Passion,” “The New Nuclear Danger,” “Nuclear Power Is Not The Answer,” “If You Love This Planet” and “War In Heaven,”which will all be available for sale. To view the trailer for FALLOUT, please visit the website, http://youtu.be/F0AG6vDIxrc. To learn more, please visit www.katkramersfilmsthatchangetheworld.com and www.helencaldicott.com.
More About The Film, FALLOUT, the Novelist, Nevil Shute and the Filmmaker Stanley Kramer:
FALLOUT, an 86-minute film, is written, directed and co-produced by Lawrence Johnson (Eternity, Life, Night) and produced and co-written by Peter Kaufman (Slipped, Insatiable, On The Side of the Angels). The film received its World Premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in Australia on July 28, 2013 to critical acclaim.
– “FALLOUT is TERRIFIC.” – ABC – At The Movies
– “Here’s another example of an excellent movie….The director’s artful use of archival footage is impressive flowing along almost seamlessly with the main narrative. The film hits a nerve from the opening scene in which J.F.K. contemplates in a speech the possibility of nuclear annihilation….” – Cinephilia
– “FALLOUT examines the life of English novelist and engineer, Nevil Shute, and his untold story of bringing awareness to the implications of nuclear war. FALLOUT makes the right decision on giving sound documentation to this aspect without overdoing it. FALLOUT is a wonderful journey through history.”
– Melbourne Film Festival Review
– “Lawrence Johnston’s documentary FALLOUT skillfully weaves together several narrative strands related to On The Beach, the novel and the film. There is an account of best-selling author Nevil Shute, whose contemplation of atomic war produced a book with a vision of the future that still resonates. There is the reality of nuclear attack, as it was experienced in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The film has an involving sense of urgency as well as reflection and reconsideration: it’s a story about the past but also about the present and future.” – Brisbane Times
– “Drawing upon extensive archival footage and some clips from the actual film as well as production material, Australian filmmaker Lawrence Johnston (Eternity, Night, etc.) has assembled a fascinating, intelligent and very informative behind the scenes documentary about the film and controversy it caused. Not only is this terrific documentary a look behind the scenes of the making of a historically significant film, it is also a study of the impact the bomb has had on the 20th century as well. There are revealing interviews with (Stanley) Kramer’s widow as well as (Nevil) Shute’s daughter, and author and journalist Gideon Haigh, who provides a wealth of information about Shute and his engineering background and his novels. The title itself is clever as it contains a number of ramifications including nuclear fallout as well as the disagreement between Shute and Kramer over the film. One of the very best documentaries of the year, and a must see for film lovers!” – Sydney Morning Herald
Nevil Norway worked as an aeronautical engineer by day and wrote novels as night under the pseudonym of Nevil Shute. During WWII Nevil Norway worked for the United Kingdom’s Department of Miscellaneous Weapons where he developed secret weapons used against Germany and its civilians. The role of scientists in the abject horror of war and finally the atom bombs dropped on Japan, challenged Shute’s conscience leading him to depict the devastating impact of a nuclear war in On The Beach, one of the most significant end of the world anti-war novels of the 20th century.
In 1957 on its release in the United States One The Beach had a huge impact selling four million copies. It caught the eye of producer and director Stanley Kramer who recognized the strength of the material. He optioned the novel immediately. On The Beach was the first Hollywood film to be shot in Australia and was set in Melbourne, Shute’s new home following his relocation to Australia in 1950. It was to star Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins, and newcomer Donna Anderson.
The Eisenhower Government fearing an American public becoming knowledgeable to the reality of nuclear was attempted to discredit everything to do with Kramer’s film and refused him permission to use a U.S. submarine. However, Australia’s Prime Minister Menzies believed the publicity for Australia would be beneficial and allowed access to an Australian Navy aircraft carrier for the film’s production.
Initially the collaboration between Kramer and Shute was harmonious. However Shute was to express displeasure with several aspects of Kramer’s interpretation, in particular the depiction of the relationship between the Ava Gardner’s and Gregory Peck’s characters and the use of American actors and not Australians.
Nevil Shute died a little more than a month after the film’s completion from a major stroke in 1960. When On The Beach was released in 1981 it premiered simultaneously in 16 cities throughout the world – from London to Tokyo, Los Angeles to Rome, New York to Melbourne. It also screened in Moscow and as such was the first American film to be seen in the Soviet Union.
FALLOUT is a timely reminded of the precarious nuclear proliferation, and of Nevile Shute’s prophetic vision.
More About The Event Keynote Speaker, Dr. Helen Caldicott:
Dr. Helen Mary Caldicott is an Australian author, physician and anti-nuclear advocate who founded several associations to bring public awareness to the potential medical and societal consequences of nuclear war. Her lectures on nuclear disarmament became the subject matter of the 1982 Academy Award-winning documentary short film, If You Love This Planet.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Dr. Caldicott attended Fintona Girls’ School. She received her medical degree in 1961 from the University of Adelaide Medical School, and in 1977 she joined the staff of the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston. She taught pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School form 1977 – 1978.
By 1980, following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, she left her medical career to concentrate on bringing the world’s attention to the nuclear arms race and growing reliance on nuclear power. Also in 1980, she founded the Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament (WAND) in the United States, later renamed Women’s Action for New Directions.
During her time in the United States from 1977 to 1986, Dr. Caldicott was the founding president from 1978 to 1983 of Physicians for Social Responsibility (founded originally in 1961 and dormant from 1970 to 1978), where she helped to recruit 23,000 doctors committed to educating the public and their colleagues on the perils of nuclear energy. In 1982 she received the Humanist of the Year award from the American Humanist Association.
She returned to the United States in 1995 to lecture for the New School of Social Research on the Environment, Media and Global Politics. She has also hosted a weekly radio show on WBAI (Pacifica) and became the Founding President of STAR (Standing for Truth About Radiation) Foundation.
The author of nearly a dozen books (including “Loving This Planet,” “A Desperate Passion,” “The New Nuclear Danger,” “Nuclear Power Is Not The Answer,” “If You Love This Planet” and “War In Heaven”), Dr. Caldicott founded the Nuclear Policy Research Institute, headquartered in Washington, D.C. in 2001. In 2008 she founded the Helen Caldicott Foundation for a Nuclear Free Future which hosts a weekly radio show, If You Love This Planet,which originated in Houston radio station KPFT, and now airs on dozens of U.S., Australian and Canadian radio stations via a podcast feed at www.ifyoulovethisplanet.org.
Dr. Caldicott currently splits her time between Australia and the United States, where she continues to lecture to promote her views on nuclear energy use, including weapons and power. She is recipient of 21 honorary doctoral degrees and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling.
In 2003 she was awarded the Lannan Foundation Prize for Cultural Freedom, and in 2006 she was presented with the Australian Peace Prize by the Peace Organization of Australia for her longstanding commitment to raising awareness about the environmental and medical hazards of the nuclear age. The Smithsonian Institution named Dr. Caldicott as one of the most influential women of the 20th century. To learn more about Dr. Helen Caldicott, please visit the website, www.helencaldicott.com.
More About Kat Kramer’s Films That Change The World:
Katharine “Kat” Kramer founded Kat Kramer’s Films That Change the World to showcase motion pictures that raise awareness about important social issues. In so doing, she is following in the footsteps of her late father, the legendary producer/director Stanley Kramer,who was known for taking artistic and financial chances by making movies about controversial subjects.
The film series, Kat Kramer’s Films That Change The World began in 2009 withBarbra Streisand’s Yentl, which focused attention on women’s equality, and was used as a springboard for a discussion about the widespread sexual abuse of women in the Congo.
The second film presented in the series in 2010 was the Academy Award-winning documentary film, The Cove, which exposed the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. In 2011 the film, Elephants and Man: A Litany of Tragedy, about the suffering of elephants in captivity was presented, and in 2012, the film, Teach Your Children Well, which deals with the growing problem of bullying in schools was screened.
Katharine “Kat” Kramer was named after her godmother Katharine Hepburn – and had she been born a boy, she would have been named Spencer, for Spencer Tracy, her father – filmmaker, Stanley Kramer’s friend. Instead, she was named Katharine, and grew up with the legacy of two legends out of the history of show business.
Music has always been an important part of Kramer’s life. By the age of five, she was a child prodigy of dance, studying with the renowned choreographer Eugene Loring. For a while, she seemed destined for a future in the world of dance. But somewhere down the line, Kramer changed her mind, and decided to pursue a career as an actress and singer.
As an actress, she has appeared on stage and screen. She has starred in two popular one-woman shows, The Colors of Myself and Kriss Krossing, and won awards for appearances in regional theatrical productions of The Miracle Worker appearing in the role of Helen Keller The Diary of Anne Frank appearing in the titular role of Anne Frank. She has appeared in the films: Hollywood Dreams, Going Shopping, What Just Happened and Little Fockers. She will also be seen in the upcoming film Katie Q, with Karen Black, Paul Sand and Zack Norman.
As a singer, Kramer is recording Gemstone, an album of Mick Jagger love songs, each as a duet with a different artist who has previously worked with Mick Jagger. As a producer, she is developing a web series about the making of her album, titled My Duet with Mick.
Katharine “Kat” Kramer received a rousing ovation with a special musical tribute to her friend Lily Tomlin at the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Awards in February 2012. She previously received the “Compassion” Award from the Braveheart Women’s Organization. Kramer has appeared at awards shows and galas for such luminaries as Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Shirley MacLaine. Kramer, who is the goddaughter of the late Katharine Hepburn, proudly serves as the West Coast representative of the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center. She recently sold-out her first acting workshop for “Meet The Biz,” and will be launching “An Evening With A Trailblazer” with David S. Zimmerman in 2013. She will soon be debuting a new one-woman-show. A former Miss Golden Globe, she resides in Los Angeles.
Participants and Supporters of Kat Kramer’s Films That Change The World over the last five years have included: A Voice For The Animals Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union, Anne Archer, Ed Asner, Alec Baldwin, Ed Begley, Jr., Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Tom Bierdz, Beau Bridges, Cher, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Romi Dames, Ken Davitian, Jenna Dewan, Mike Farrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Louis Gossett, Jr., Kathy Griffin, Tippi Hedren, Danny Huston, the late Kathryn Joosten, Lainie Kazan, James Kyson Lee, Kate Linder, Jane Lynch, CoCo Peru, OPS/Sea Shepard/Save Japan Dolphins, Rick Overton, Paula Poundstone, Fisher Stevens/Louis Psihoyos, Raise Hope For Congo/The Enough Project, Ben Stiller, Bella Thorne, Judy Tenuta, Billy Bob Thornton, Lily Tomlin (a longtime friend and colleague of Dr. Helen Caldicott), Bruce Vilanch and Robin Williams.
