Stony Brook, NY - February 1, 2017 - Tom Needham will be airing an exclusive interview with legendary documentary filmmaker, John Pilger, who will be talking about his films Utopia and The Coming War on China this Thursday at 6 P.M. on the Sounds of Film on WUSB. He is also internationally known for his films about Julian Assange, The War that You Didn’t See and his controversial 2007 film, The War on Democracy, which explores U.S. interventions in Latin America.
Utopia sheds a light on Aboriginal Australia. The film’s title is based on Utopia, Northern Territory, one of the poorest areas of Australia. Producer, writer and director, John Pilger, visited Utopia only to discover that Aboriginal families are still living in poor unsanitary conditions without electricity and running water. Utopia raises awareness about the fact that Aboriginal Australians are imprisoned at ten times the rate that South Africans imprisoned black people under apartheid. Pilger also makes the point that Aboriginal Australians’ land has been exploited for mining purposes, but that none of the tax revenue has been used to end Aboriginal poverty. The film is available on Icarus Films DVD and video-on-demand.
The Coming War on China.
The Coming War on China is Pilger’s latest provocative movie. The film demonstrates evidence that the possibility of a nuclear war with China is no longer something that we can ignore. He points to the greatest build-up of military bases in the area surrounding China since the Second World War. He also shares the nuclear history of America’s military involvement in the Marshall Islands where in 1946 the United States began a 12 year campaign of daily droppings of nuclear bombs in a series of tests partially designed to test the effects of radiation on islanders, who Pilger refers to as guinea pigs.
About the Sounds of Film
The Sounds of Film is the nation’s longest-running film themed radio show. For the past thirty years, the program has delivered a popular mix of interviews and music to listeners all over Long Island, parts of Connecticut and streaming live on the Internet at Wusb.fm. Previous guests include Laurie Anderson, director Alexandra Pelosi, Michael Moore, writer Chris Hedges, the Weather Underground’s Bill Ayers, Public Enemy’s Chuck D. and composer Lalo Schifrin.