The new documentary An Ordinary Insanity focuses on Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg’s calls to action about the global threat posed by nuclear weapons. In the film, Ellsberg, who died three years ago, says: “Can humanity survive the nuclear era? We don’t know. I choose to act as if we have a chance.”
JUDITH EHRLICH; [email protected]
Ehrlich is a film director, writer and producer. Her 2009 film The Most Dangerous Man in America was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won a Peabody Award. She directed An Ordinary Insanity.
Ehrlich told the Institute for Public Accuracy: ”Young people know Daniel Ellsberg more often than you might expect. The film is not about deifying Dan Ellsberg, but reinforcing his message that Earth is undergoing slow destruction by climate change or it can undergo a quick one with nuclear annihilation––which could happen any day and is a miracle it hasn’t happened so far. Ellsberg has been one of the most important voices on this subject for a long time. But there are others who are working on this, including college and youth organizations and coalitions like Back from the Brink.”
She added: “This is something people want to talk about. I thought [Ellsberg] wouldn’t be an easy sell to young people, but I’ve found it’s not an issue. He is so sincere and so powerful in his commitment.”
In an article published by The Nation, “Daniel Ellsberg vs. ‘Ordinary Insanity,’” IPA executive director Norman Solomon wrote: “Ellsberg died three years ago. He is still speaking to us.”