Schedule
Welcome! Below you’ll find everything you need to plan your day visit—or to enjoy the full two‑week festival of Peace · Legacy · Explore.
Free Daily Programming
Aug 16-31
Free Daily · 9:00 AM · 10:00 AM · 11:00 AM
SALA Los Alamos Event Center
Begin your day with a powerful 45-minute film session featuring stories from Los Alamos’ past and present.
Highlights include What’s Left of Oppenheimer’s Los Alamos?, scenes from the historic V-Site, and a look at the people shaping the town today—plus tips to explore more.
At the heart of the session is The Atomic Tree, a poetic short film about a bonsai that survived Hiroshima.
Shown in the theater and available in VR in the lobby, it offers a quiet moment to reflect on peace, memory, and resilience.
The Manhattan Series: The Race to Build the Bomb
Free Daily at 12 PM
2 Episodes on Fridays & Saturdays
Step into the world of Los Alamos during World War II with daily screenings of The Manhattan Series, a critically acclaimed historical drama exploring the lives of the scientists, families, and military personnel behind the atomic bomb.
Follow the story from the top-secret labs to the personal lives shaped by secrecy, sacrifice, and discovery.
One episode is screened each day, with two episodes shown on Fridays and Saturdays so you can experience the entire two-season series during the festival.
This program brings history to life and provides powerful context to the real events that shaped our town—and the world.
23-Episode Historical Drama · Daily at 12 PM · 2 Episodes on Fridays & Saturdays
Reserve Your Seat & Unlock Access
To reserve events and unlock premium programs like Peace Week and Legacy Week, access your digital pass through the Festival App.
Saturday · 16 Aug 2025
Opening Day
Walk to Restore the House
9:00 am | Free Community Event
Kick off the Oppenheimer Festival with a free, family-friendly walk through historic downtown Los Alamos. Guided by the Los Alamos Historical Society team, this journey includes stops at the Los Alamos Demonstration Garden, public statues, the Rose Garden, and the Romero Cabin.
The walk ends at the Oppenheimer House, where you’ll learn about the restoration campaign to open it to the public — plus enjoy live music from the Hillstompers at 9:30 a.m.
Oppenheimer: Science, Mission, Legacy
4:00 pm | Free Showing
Narrated by historian Alan Carr, this Los Alamos National Laboratory film traces J. Robert Oppenheimer’s journey—from Manhattan Project leader to post-war critic—and the scientific legacy he left behind. Told in three concise chapters (Science, Mission, Legacy). Included free with your Visitor Badge or Festival Pass.
Opening Night & Tribute to Nancy Bartlit
6:00 PM – Reception | 7:00 PM – Tribute Program
SALA Event Center or via Zoom
Celebrate the opening of the Oppenheimer Festival 2025 with a special evening honoring historian and author Nancy R. Bartlit. Join us for a private dinner and a tribute program featuring guest reflections and remarks from Nancy.
RSVP required. In-person and Zoom options available.
SALA Members are invited to a private reception at 6:00 PM.
Sunday · 17
The Metropolitan Opera
Doctor. Atomic
Free for SALA Members, included with Peace and Legacy Pass $60, or available by individual ticket $15
4:00 pm
An opera set in the final hours before the Trinity test, Doctor Atomic follows J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team as they confront the moral and emotional weight of creating the atomic bomb.
SALA Member – Free · Peace Access – $60 · Single Ticket – $15
Thursday · 21
Richland Film Screening with Q&A Producer Irene Lusztig
Free for SALA Members, included with Peace Pass $60, or available by individual ticket $15
6:00 pm
Richland is a sobering, meditative portrait of a nuclear company town that embraces its origins and divisive past, all while reflecting on its future. Filmmaker Irene Lusztig’s patient and inquisitive storytelling expertly navigates themes of security, violence, and community.
SALA Member – Free · Peace Access – $60 · Single Ticket – $15
Friday · 22
Barefoot Gen
Free for SALA Members, included with Peace Pass $60, or available by individual ticket $15
4:00 pm
The landmark 1983 anime adapts Keiji Nakazawa’s autobiographical manga, following young Gen as he struggles to survive—and retain hope—after the Hiroshima bombing. Unflinching yet compassionate, the film remains one of the most powerful anti-war statements in animation history.
SALA Member – Free · Peace Access – $60 · Single Ticket – $15
Saturday · 23
Secrets in the Shadows: The Project Y Spies
4:00 pm | Free Showing
Dive into the covert world of wartime Los Alamos, where double agents like Klaus Fuchs and Ted Hall slipped atomic secrets past tight security. Through newly declassified files and gripping firsthand accounts, this film unravels how espionage shaped the Cold War before it even began.
N.T.L Dr. Strangelove
Free for SALA Members, included with Legacy Pass $60, or available by individual ticket $15
6:00 pm
Stanley Kubrick’s iconic Cold War satire returns to the stage in this razor-sharp new production from National Theatre Live, starring Steve Coogan in multiple roles, including the eccentric Dr. Strangelove.
A rogue U.S. general launches a nuclear attack, sparking a frantic effort among world leaders—and one peculiar ex-Nazi scientist—to stop the end of the world.
Originally filmed at Shepperton Studios and nominated for four Academy Awards, this bold stage adaptation brings the dark humor and absurdity of global politics to a whole new generation.
A brilliant blend of comedy and chaos, featuring Peter Sellers in three unforgettable roles.
SALA Member – Free · Peace Access – $60 · Single Ticket – $15
Sunday · 24
First We Bombed New Mexico: Screening & Reception with Tina Cordova and Lois Lipman
4:00 PM – Reception · 5:00 PM – Screening & Q&A
Latina businessw oman and cancer survivor Tina Cordova ignites a grassroots movement demanding justice for the residents of southern New Mexico – mostly Hispanic and Native – who have suffered multigenerational cancers tied to the exposure of their land to radioactive fallout from the Trinity nuclear test.
Reception at 4:00 PM for SALA Members only.
SALA Member – Free · Peace Access – $60 · Single Ticket – $15
Thursday · 28
Oppenheimer and the H-Bomb
6:00 PM
A powerful historical lecture by Manhattan Project historian Nicholas Lewis. This talk explores J. Robert Oppenheimer’s opposition to the hydrogen bomb and the ethical, political, and scientific tensions it sparked. Historian Nicholas Lewis reflects on Oppenheimer’s leadership at Los Alamos, his resistance to the “Super,” and how these choices shaped Cold War policy and led to his eventual fall from political grace.
SALA Member – Free · Legacy Access – $60 · Single Ticket – $15
Friday · 29
In This Corner of the World
Free for SALA Members, included with Legacy Pass, or available by individual ticket
4:00 PM
Set in Hiroshima during World War II, this animated film follows Suzu, a young woman who moves to a small town after marrying into a new family. Despite the hardships of war—scarcity, bombings, and loss—Suzu finds strength through art, resilience, and quiet acts of kindness. The film offers a deeply human perspective on everyday life during wartime, blending beauty and tragedy in a poignant, heartfelt story.
SALA Member – Free · Legacy Access – $60 · Single Ticket – $15
Saturday · 30
The Most Brilliant Human Mind: With Director Livia Bertha & Physicist Imre Pazsit
4:00 PM | Free Showing
This compelling documentary explores the life and legacy of John von Neumann—mathematical genius, pioneer of game theory and digital computing, and an essential architect of the Manhattan Project. Told through the lens of his daughter and esteemed colleagues, and featuring exclusive footage from Budapest to Los Alamos, the film provides an intimate portrait of a mind that shaped the 20th century.
With special guests: Director Livia Bertha and physicist Imre Pazsit
Followed by a special reception at 6:00 PM for SALA Members only.
Free Showing – Reception Included for Members
Oppenheimer After Trinity: A Special Talk with Charles Oppenheimer
6:30 PM
Experience a rare and intimate evening inside the Oppenheimer legacy. The program begins with a never-before-heard audio interview between filmmaker Larry Sheffield and Charles Oppenheimer, grandson of J. Robert Oppenheimer, originally recorded for the award-winning documentary Oppenheimer After Trinity. Accompanied by historical photos and visuals, the conversation reveals a deeply personal side of the Manhattan Project’s leader — from family memories to the moral questions that continue to shape global debates.
Following the interview, a live panel discussion will expand on Oppenheimer’s legacy, featuring:
Lívia Bertha (director, The Most Brilliant Human Mind)
Imre Pázsit (physicist, featured in The Most Brilliant Human Mind)
Todd Nichols (Los Alamos Historical Society)
Liz Martineau (J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee)
Nancy Bartlit (historian and author)
SALA Member – Free · Legacy Access – $60 · Single Ticket – $15
Sunday · 31
Oppenheimer & Festival Closing
4:00 PM
End the festival with a special screening of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, featuring local extras. Celebrate the story, the community, and the close of the Oppenheimer Festival 2025.
SALA Member – Free · Legacy Access – $60 · Single Ticket – $15