Samurais of Chernobyl

Tšernobõli samuraid

L

Genre

Documentary

Director

Ivar Heinmaa

Run time

0h 55min

A film about the men, who cleaned up the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in 1986, and the global consequences of the nuclear disaster.

Over 830 000 men from all over the Soviet Union participated in the dousing and burying operations of the 4th reactor; every eighth of them is dead. Estonia sent 5000 men to help out. Between 1986-1993, 28 of them committed suicide. The film adds the stories of specific people to the stunning statistics and dry numbers.

The main characters of the film are Jaan Krinal, the director of the Western division of Estonian Tax and Customs Board, and Kalev Kilk, a former welder. Their memories spring to life as they visit Chernobyl again in 2011.

The film also gives word to the Belorussian biologist Aleksei Nesterenko, who has participated in research confirming that, in 1986-2004, a million people all over the world have died as a result of the Chernobyl catastrophe.

In addition to the anatomy of the two great disasters – Chernobyl 1986 vs. Fukushima 2011 – the film also observes the life of the inhabitants of the danger zone and the situation today, 25 years after the accident. There are those for whom Chernobyl spells a never-ending nightmare, while for others it is the dearest place on earth – simply home.

Genre

Documentary

Director

Ivar Heinmaa

Run time

0h 55min

A film about the men, who cleaned up the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in 1986, and the global consequences of the nuclear disaster.

Over 830 000 men from all over the Soviet Union participated in the dousing and burying operations of the 4th reactor; every eighth of them is dead. Estonia sent 5000 men to help out. Between 1986-1993, 28 of them committed suicide. The film adds the stories of specific people to the stunning statistics and dry numbers.

The main characters of the film are Jaan Krinal, the director of the Western division of Estonian Tax and Customs Board, and Kalev Kilk, a former welder. Their memories spring to life as they visit Chernobyl again in 2011.

The film also gives word to the Belorussian biologist Aleksei Nesterenko, who has participated in research confirming that, in 1986-2004, a million people all over the world have died as a result of the Chernobyl catastrophe.

In addition to the anatomy of the two great disasters – Chernobyl 1986 vs. Fukushima 2011 – the film also observes the life of the inhabitants of the danger zone and the situation today, 25 years after the accident. There are those for whom Chernobyl spells a never-ending nightmare, while for others it is the dearest place on earth – simply home.

Info

Rating

For All Audiences

Production year

2012

Global distributor

Einmann Video OÜ

Local distributor

Einmann Video OÜ

In cinema

4/11/2012