Gerboise Bleue

"Gerboise bleue", the inaugural French atomic test conducted on February 13, 1960, in the Algerian Sahara, marks the genesis of France's nuclear era. These were potent radioactive aerial detonations carried out in zones under military control. Underground tests would follow, continuing even after Algeria's independence. From 1960 to 1978, 30,000 people were exposed in the Sahara. The French army was credited with nine irradiations. No complaint against the army or the Atomic Energy Commission has materialized. Three requests for an inquiry commission were rejected by the National Defense Commission. For the first time, the remaining survivors recount their struggle to have their illnesses acknowledged, revealing the conditions under which the tests were conducted. The director travels to the zero point of Gerboise Bleue, forbidden access for 47 years by the Algerian authorities.