With 13 nominations, insiders predict that Oppenheimer will sweep a slew of awards from Best Picture to Cinematography at this year’s Oscars.

But all those sparkly statues won’t erase the film’s failure to acknowledge the full and horrific reality of Oppenheimer’s creation. 

Just months after the Trinity test, the United States dropped bombs on and leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki, instantly killing upwards of 120,000 people. That’s not all. Trinity also opened the door to an era where the U.S. government would knowingly expose tens of thousands of servicemembers, people in rural communities, Indigenous peoples, miners, and others to toxic materials and radiation in the name of nuclear testing and weapons development.

People who have directly experienced the effects of nuclear weapons testing and war deserve to have their stories of pain, loss, and resilience told — and the world deserves to hear them. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS), which hosts the Oscars and is about to make millions of dollars off of Oppenheimer promotion, must help tell this full story. 

To build a future free from the threat of nuclear war we must understand and reckon with our past. 

Add your name if you agree: With Oppenheimer taking center stage at this year’s Oscars, the Academy has a duty to tell the full story of nuclear testing and war during the broadcast.