“First We Bombed New Mexico” tells story story of what happened after “Oppenheimer”

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-A documentary about what happened after Robert Oppenheimer and his team designed the atomic bomb screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The new film entitled "First We Bombed New Mexico" is an official selection at the festival.

The filmmakers attended the Robert Downey Jr. tribute following the screening of Oppenheimer at The Arlington Theatre on Friday.

"First we bombed New Mexico" is the story that Oppenheimer leaves out, " said director/producer Lois Lipman, "It is what happened after this catastrophic bomb was developed and detonated- who did it impact? It impacted a whole civilization of native people and Hispanic people who live in New Mexico and they are suffering four generations of cancer, and we have a heroine, Tina Cordova, who is fighting for the story to be told."

Tina Cordova co-founded the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium.

"I've said all along the Oppenheimer movie is a great introduction to the subject matter, right, The Manhattan Project, The Trinity Test, "said Cordova, "but it doesn't go far enough because it doesn't tell the entire history and the entire history is that people in New Mexico were horribly harmed by the bomb they detonated at Trinity and no one has ever looked back, there is no reflection on that and you don't see it portrayed in the movie Oppenheimer and that's a disservice to the public and a great disservice to the people of New Mexico, actually."

They hope both films will spark conversations.

For more information visit http://www.firstwebombednewmexico.com