Oppenheimer’s Legacy in New Mexico, Former UNM AD Acquitted & Actors/Writers Strike Escalates

This week on New Mexico in Focus, The Line Opinion Panel rejoins the show. After the release of the film Oppenheimer, Gene Grant asks the panel about the legacies of nuclear testing in New Mexico and whether the film should have included an examination of the devastating impacts of the scientists’ work here. Then, Gene and the group discuss the recent acquittal of former University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs. A jury found Krebs not guilty of two felony counts of embezzlement after prosecutors said he used public money to pay for a luxurious golf trip for donors. The panel will explore how the verdict could impact the handling of future public corruption cases. Gene and The Line will conclude with a conversation about the ongoing film actors’ and writers’ strike. Film productions in New Mexico have been forced to shut down, as they have in Los Angeles and elsewhere. Gene asks if this labor dispute could set a precedent for creative industries moving forward.  

Tina Cordova is the founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium and has been working for years to earn recognition and compensation from the federal government for the deadly pollution that followed the Trinity test. New Mexico in Focus correspondent Russell Contreras interviews Cordova this week about being overlooked yet again in the new film, Oppenheimer. 

Kirk Ellis has decades of experience in the film industry, working as a writer and producer and now, running his own production company. Gene Grant caught up with him to get his impressions on the film actors’ and writers’ strike. Ellis explains where labor and management stand and what it could take to reach an agreement.  

Host: Gene Grant 

The Line Opinion Panel: 
Dede Feldman, Democratic former NM state senator 
Sophie Martin, attorney 
Shaun Griswold, editor, Source New Mexico 

Segments: 

New Mexico Downwinders Push for National Recognition 
Correspondent: Russell Contreras 
Guest: Tina Cordova, founder, Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium 

Inside Perspective: Actors & Writers Strike 
Correspondent: Gene Grant 
Guest: Kirk Ellis, film writer & producer, president of Shadow Catcher Productions