What: Virtual screening of A Translator (Un Traductor) (2018), followed by a moderated post-film discussion with the film’s Cuban directors, Sebastián and Rodrigo Barriuso; Kate Brown, author of Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future; and Michael Thoss, Goethe-Institut representative in Havana, Cuba.
When: July 21, 2020, 5.00 PM-6:30PM (EDT)
To join: Please reply to the Eventbrite invitation at this link. All those who RSVP will receive a request to register for the event via Zoom. Once registered, you will receive the link to a free online viewing of Un Traductor, available to watch any time prior to the online discussion. (See the Eventbrite invitation for details.)
The story: Today, Cuban doctors are traveling the world helping treat victims of COVID-19. But few know that in late 1989, Cuba began a free, 21-year effort to save the children of Chernobyl, treating them at a special hospital just outside Havana. Un Traductor tells the emotional story of a Cuban professor of Russian who finds himself ordered to translate for the “patients from Chernobyl,” and their families. At first reluctant, he gradually becomes totally committed to their wellbeing, but at a price.
Kate Brown’s landmark book, painstakingly researched but written almost like a thriller, uncovers the secrets and myths that downplayed the devastating health consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Michael Thoss observed in an article for Der Tagsspiegel that despite increased US pressure to prevent Cuba’s access to essential medical equipment, “Cuba’s medical delegations are sending out a signal of international solidarity” as they treat COVID-19 patients overseas.
The event will feature interviews and discussions with the guests followed by questions and answers from the audience. It is co-hosted by Linda Pentz Gunter (Beyond Nuclear), Raleigh Joyner (Goethe-Institut DC) and Nora Löhle (Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Washington, DC).
