Imagining Atomic Warfare

Educational films produced by the National Command of Civil Defense between 1964 and 1982 as part of a public awareness campaign about protection against nuclear, biological and chemical warfare.

The early films instructed viewers how to build a bomb shelter at home, what to do in case of a nuclear attack, or how to counteract the side-effects of radioactivity, how to disinfect themselves and food.

From the 1970s on, the films presented public drills and evacuations organized by civil defense units, sometimes mobilizing tens of thousands of civilians. The films were screened on a regular basis in schools, workplaces, cultural centers, or movie theaters before the main feature.