Uranium to Die For

In this harrowing documentary, Israeli journalist and filmmaker Shany Haziza literally risks her life to track down the truth about whether a uranium mine—ostensibly closed when the Belgian colonialists left what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo a half-century ago—is still being worked illegally and in secret. Eliciting information from various unnamed individuals who appear on-camera, Haziza uncovers indications that the facility is not only active, but also that—thanks to the help of corrupt government officials—enriched uranium is being exported worldwide, including to Iran, North Korea, and China. Using hidden cameras, Haziza records meetings with clandestine figures who offer to sell her uranium and eventually provide her with samples that prove to be the real thing (any hint that she was a reporter, much less Israeli, would have likely resulted in Haziza's death). Meanwhile, Congolese laborers receive none of the riches, workers and their families suffer from the effects of exposure, and refugee camps are filled with people displaced by mining operations that have seized their land. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)