More than a movie: Oppenheimer Festival explores the legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Manhattan Project

Experience a historic adventure that extends beyond the Academy Award-winning film at Oppenheimer Festival 2024.

The festival, which is in its second year, takes place Saturday, Aug. 10, through Aug. 31, at the SALA Los Alamos Event Center, 2551 Central Ave. in Los Alamos. Film premieres, classic screenings, documentaries, lectures, trivia nights and family-friendly movies are part of the event.

More than a movie: Oppenheimer Festival explores the legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Manhattan Project

Award-winning producer Larry Sheffield will premiere his documentary film, “The Atomic Rocketeer,” at the event. The documentary tells the story of Wernher von Braun, a German scientist, and his band of rocketeers that were acquired by the United States after the fall of Germany. Several showings of the film will take place throughout the event.

A premiere lunch with Sheffield will be held at noon on Saturday, Aug. 10, and Sunday, Aug. 11. A red carpet dinner and a meet and greet with Sheffield will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.

“Alamogordo, Center of the World, Trinity 1945,” created by Sheffield and Trent DiGiulio, and Sheffield’s “Oppenheimer After Trinity” also will have showings at the event.

“ ‘Oppenheimer After Trinity’ is a film that we also premiered in Los Alamos,” said Allan Saenz, festival organizer and owner of SALA Los Alamos Event Center. “We will have all three of (Sheffield’s) films. The first one that he did is ‘Alamogordo, (Center of the World, Trinity 1945)’ and that one is a short film. So it is 28 minutes. ... And then we will have ‘Oppenheimer After Trinity’ that expands more on what happens with Oppenheimer after Trinity and also what happened with the removal of his clearance. He addresses the process and also how years later he got his clearance back. In the film, (Sheffield) interviews Charles Oppenheimer, the grandson of Oppenheimer. So it is a really interesting film.”

Several showings of “First We Bombed New Mexico” by Lois Lipman will be part of the festival. The film tells the story of the Trinity Test, the world’s first nuclear bomb detonation that occurred in New Mexico a month prior to the bombing of Hiroshima. It takes a deep look into the tragic consequences and “government betrayal” faced by thousands of New Mexicans who are primarily Hispanic and Native American, according to the event website.

“We were able to contact the director,” Saenz said. “On Aug. 17, she will come, and we will have a dinner with her, do a screening, do a question and answer, and then after that, we will have more opportunities for people to watch the film as well.”

The acclaimed film showings continue with “Oppenheimer,” directed by Christopher Nolan, that was filmed on location in Los Alamos. The cinematic masterpiece tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist behind the atomic bomb during World War II.

Classic films that relive the era of the Manhattan Project will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays during the event. Films include “Day One,” “Fatman and Little Boy,” “Dr. Strangelove” and “The Beginning or the End.”

Family-friendly film showings are part of the PJs and Movies series. Families can come in their pajamas and enjoy a light breakfast and an animated movie. Films include “Astro Boy,” “The Iron Giant,” “Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius” and “The Lego Movie.”

Lectures that explore a wide range of topics related to the Manhattan Project will be presented by experts, directors and historians who will discuss the impacts, legacy and different perspectives of the era in history.

Presentations include “The Santa Fe Internment Camp in the Shadow of Los Alamos (1942-1946)” with Nancy Bartlit; “J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Legacy of Big Science at Los Alamos;” “Japan’s Longest Day: The Dramatic Story of the End of WWII” with Bartlit; and “Community in Conflict” with Claudia Katayanagi.

“That one is actually pretty interesting,” Saenz said of Bartlit’s presentation. “She did a documentary about the camps that they built in Santa Fe during World War II, where they brought people from different places of the United States, Japanese Americans, Japanese that they brought and they held them in Santa Fe. She created this documentary on the impact, on the effects of World War II, even in Santa Fe. We’re really excited about that one.”

Fun and educational trivia will have eventgoers putting their thinking caps on. “Oppenheimer Science, Mission, Legacy & Atomic Trivia” will take place at 11:30 a.m. every Saturday of the event. “Alamogordo Center of the World Trinity 1945 & Historic Trivia” will happen at 5 p.m. every Saturday of the festival.

Eventgoers can also enjoy live painting sessions with artist Margarita Ryan and musical performances.

“This is a famous artist that has worked with us in the past,” Saenz said. “She has created these Oppenheimer paintings. She will be there selling some of her art and also she will be creating some art. It is also about working with kids in teaching them how (to create) smaller paintings.”

Eventgoers also are encouraged to venture out on their own and discover the rich legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project through self-guided and guided walking tours. The “Oppenheimer Film Tour” explores iconic locations featured in the Christopher Nolan film. “Los Alamos History Walking Tours” offers guided tours led by local historians. Tour participants will learn about the town’s transformation during and after the Manhattan Project. The “Manhattan Project National Historical Park Tour” features significant locations of the atomic bomb development. Visits to the Bradbury Science Museum and Pajarito Environmental Education Center also are advised. Tour maps and information is available at sala.losalamos.com/oppenheimer-festival-2024.