Film helps to declassify government records of UK nuclear test vets

An experienced cinematographer’s directorial debut has been part of a campaign to declassify government blood records of nuclear test veterans. Previously held under the highest levels of security clearance, those records are now being released to veterans’ families for the first time, with the full archive scheduled to be made publicly accessible through The National Archives later this year.

Recognition for nuclear test veterans

Alan Owen is co-founder of LABRATS International and former chairman of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association. Daniel Everitt-Lock’s film Our Planet, The People, My Blood follows Owen as he leads a landmark legal battle seeking recognition and compensation for the millions of people affected by nuclear weapons testing programs worldwide.

Check out the trailer:

Making the film took three years and 150,000km of travel by director Everitt-Lock and co-producer Rodrigo Borda. Journeying across four continents, they captured over 50 first-hand testimonies. These included people from Indigenous Marshallese communities (Marshall Islands), the Maralinga Tjarutja of Australia, the Spokane Nation of the United States and survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Everitt-Lock says:

Nine years ago, I watched a short film about nuclear test veterans and couldn’t believe that no one was talking about it. I set out to make a documentary that offered a deeply human account of the communities forgotten by the governments that harmed them.

Owen, from LABRATS International, comments:

This documentary shows the years of denial from one of the oldest establishments in the UK and across the world. The affected communities now have a voice through this incredible piece of work. My family’s story is just one of thousands which has been suppressed, it can now be heard.

The film premiered at the Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square, London, on 12 March. Following the world premiere, the feature documentary will have screenings in cinemas across the UK. Venues include London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Brighton.

Everitt-Lock, adds:

I’m thrilled to share this story with the world as we continue to change the political agenda and fight for long-deserved justice for millions of victims and their families.

Details of other screening dates and tickets across the UK will appear here.

Everitt-Lock is a London-based director and cinematographer with a decade of professional credits across film and television. As a cinematographer, his work spans productions for Amazon, HBO, and the BBC across more than a dozen feature films and multiple television series.

Our Planet, The People, My Blood is his feature documentary debut. Since completion, it’s had endorsements from Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), CND and UN House Scotland. A Parliamentary screening in January 2026 secured cross-party political support. Jambika Docs has acquired Our Planet, The People, My Blood for international distribution.

Featured image via True Perspective Films