For
Immediate Release: March 3, 2004
CHERNOBYL
HEART Documentary Wins Oscar
Next
month marks 18th anniversary of disaster
The film features work of Chernobyl Childrens' Project
Contact: Kathy Ryan
Email: KathyR@aol.com
web: http://www.ccp-intl.org
Washington, DC—An independent film highlighting the work of Chernobyl
Children’s Project (CCP) received the Academy Award on Sunday for Best
Documentary Short Subject.
CCP is the Irish affiliate of US organization Chernobyl Children’s Project
International (CCPI). The win comes as CCP and CCPI prepare to mark the 18th
anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster with a medical and humanitarian mission to
Belarus.
CHERNOBYL HEART, produced and directed by independent filmmaker Maryann DeLeo,
focuses on the continuing effects of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 on the
children of Belarus, the country most affected by what the United Nations calls
the worst technological disaster in the history of the nuclear age. The film
follows an October 2002 delegation of CCPI and its partner, Chernobyl
Children’s Project/Ireland, as representatives traveled into the “exclusion
zone” to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The film chronicles the invisible
trail of radiation to the country’s hospitals, cancer centers, orphanages and
mental asylums.
“This film has helped shine a light on the situation that still exists in
Belarus, 18 years after the Chernobyl incident,” said Adi Roche, CCPI’s
international executive director, who is featured prominently in the film.
“The children there suffer debilitating illnesses, declining social and
economic conditions, and psychological effects as a result of the disaster. This
is a generation that has been marked by this disaster.”
The 39-minute CHERNOBYL HEART features the children of the Vesnova children’s
home, which is located about 125 miles (200 km) southeast of Minsk, near
Bobruisk. The facility houses more than 150 high dependency children and young
adults, aged five to 25. Chernobyl Children’s Project has been working with
Vesnova since 2002 to improve conditions and treatment for the children there.
The film also features Dr.William Novick, a noted cardiac surgeon whose work in
Belarus is funded by CCPI. More than 7,000 children in Belarus are on an
ever-growing waiting list for lifesaving cardiac surgery. The CCPI cardiac
surgery program offers operations, and training for Belarussian physicians that
will allow them to provide appropriate care on an ongoing basis. The next series
of surgeries are schedule for the first week of May. During the same week, CCPI
and Operation Smile will launch a 5-year mission to provide surgeries and
medical training to aid children in Belarus who require facial reconstructive
surgery.
“CCPI congratulates Maryann DeLeo, and all those associated with the film,”
said Sherrie Douglas, CCPI’s U.S. executive director. “Our hope is that the
film will build awareness of the plight of the children who continue to suffer
from the medical, social, and economic effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster
of 1986. It is our responsibility to offer not just humanitarian aid, but long
term solutions to be sure that the children of Chernobyl are not forgotten.”
About Chernobyl Children’s Project International
Chernobyl Children’s Project International Inc., (CCPI) is a not-for-profit,
501(c)3 organization. based in New York City. CCPI is dedicated to providing
humanitarian and medical aid to the three to four million children the United
Nations recognizes as suffering from the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. CCPI is the
U.S. affiliate of the Chernobyl Children’s Project Ireland and was created in
an effort to bring additional U.S. resources to the children affected by
Chernobyl. These aid programs aim to increase self-sufficiency and permanent
change in the region. Through partnerships with governmental agencies and
medical facilities in the region, CCPI encourages joint solutions and permanent
solutions to better serve these children. For more information, visit http://www.ccp-intl.org
Kathy Ryan
Chernobyl Children's Project International
http://www.ccp-intl.org