Ground Zero (1987 film)

Ground Zero
Directed by	Bruce Myles Michael Pattinson
Written by	Mac Gudgeon Jan Sardi
Starring	Colin Friels Jack Thompson Donald Pleasence
Production company	Burrowes Film Group
Distributed by	Hoyts (Australia) Avenue Pictures (US)
Release date	1 October 1987
Running time	109 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	A$7 million
Box office	A$178,576 (Australia)

Ground Zero is a 1987 Australian drama-thriller about a cinematographer who, prompted by curiosity about some old film footage taken by his father, embarks on a quest to find out the truth about British nuclear tests at Maralinga. It stars actors Colin Friels, Jack Thompson and Indigenous activist Burnum Burnum.

Ground Zero was produced in 1986 and released in 1987. IMDb, and the DVD release of the film, both credit Michael Pattinson and Bruce Myles as producers, but only Pattinson is named in other sources. Pattinson went on to direct several other Australian feature films, including Wendy Cracked a Walnut (1990), Secrets (1992), One Crazy Night (1993) and The Limbic Region (1997). Myles did not go on to other directing, but acted in numerous subsequent Australian films, including The Bank (2001).

Ground Zero was made for A$7 million, and filmed on location in Coober Pedy and Woomera in South Australia, as well as in Melbourne.

Sound for the film was created by a team including Roger Savage and Gary Wilkins, who had both worked on the Mad Max series of feature movies.

In the 1950s, the British government had conducted a number of nuclear tests at a site called Maralinga in outback South Australia. It was subsequently alleged that during those tests, armed forces personnel and Indigenous Australians may have been exposed to nuclear fallout that may have affected their health. This led eventually to a major inquiry, the McClelland Royal Commission, which reported in 1985. The inquiry attracted a lot of publicity, and ultimately a deal was struck with the United Kingdom to fund rehabilitation of the test sites.