The New Fire, a 2018 documentary about nuclear power startups, is now available for rent and purchase. It was created by David Schumacher. And I would like you to consider watching it as soon as you can.
Why?
Well if you are watching any video I've ever created, odds are you already understand the unique value proposition which is nuclear power.
Feature films showing nuclear power in a positive light, are far and few between. In 2013 Robert Stone released Pandora's Promise, and as far as English-language films, that's been it. But in the 5 years since Pandora's Promise, the nuclear-startup scene has evolved dramatically.
While Pandora's Promise featured older engineers lamenting the fact that their advanced reactor, and successful safety tests, had been forgotten, The New Fire is able to showcase young entrepreneurs taking these advancements out of national labs.
The New Fire showcases 3 nuclear startups. Of those 3, lets consider Oklo Inc. A tiny startup co-founded by the husband-wife team of Dr. Jake DeWitte and Caroline Cochran.
Oh, The New Fire has Dr. James Hansen too. A panel of climatologists arguing that nuclear power is carbon-free and so must be considered an essential tool in fighting climate change. And it has Eric Meyer singing about the importance of nuclear power to fellow transit passengers. Even Bill Gates explains his philanthropic reasoning behind investing in nuclear power. All good stuff, and thoughtfully presented.
But the biggest newest thing put forward is Oklo Inc. Oklo is named after a natural nuclear reactor, discovered to have fission-ed billions of years ago in Central Africa. Oklo, the company, has no Bill Gates, no TED Talk... Oklo has been remarkably silent since its founding in 2013.
Oklo is leveraging technology successfully demonstrated in 1986, neglected for decades, and now being developed again by NASA's KiloPower project. If all goes well, Oklo will be powering remote communities in Alaska, while NASA uses similar technology to power a permanent lunar outpost.
( Fun fact: A lunar day lasts 30 earth days. NASA scientists refer to this as "a month", and it means 2 weeks without solar power for any lunar habitat. )
I did conduct an interview with Caroline in Calgary.... in the back of an Uber as-per my usual cinematic standards. She's another excellent communicator, and TNF showcases her well.
Of course, if The New Fire was shot in the back of an Uber it wouldn't be released as a feature film. In fact, Schumacher has a very similar "testimony to legislators" scene as I pulled from C-SPAN footage for my own communication attempts... but Schumacher hauls his own camera in to record the testimony. Let's just say his version looks better than mine.
But where The New Fire really works, is showing nuclear power as something that is happening now. It isn't a set of technologies waiting for an enlightened politician, or a billionaire investor to turn them into reality. Young relate-able folks, driving affordable cars, concerned about energy poverty and the environment, have stepped up to put a dent in the universe. As good as Pandora's Promise was, it would have been impossible to tell The New Fire's story of get-it-done nuclear engineers in 2013.
The New Fire. Directed by David Schumacher. Please give it a look.
The New Fire "Watch" page:
https://www.newfiremovie.com/watch3/
Direct link to iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-new-fire/id1436011839?ls=1