Vicki Lesley
@vickilesley.bsky.social
Documentary filmmaker & mum in Brighton. Director, 'The Atom: A Love Affair' theatomfilm.com Hosting monthly online film club ‘The Film Thread’ & writing about work, life, & films at ‘Vicki Lesley is…Documental’ vickilesley.substack.com
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Vicki Lesley
@vickilesley.bsky.social
· Jul 10
THE FILM THREAD 🎬🪡
Welcome to The Film Thread! My hand-curated, algorithm-free members' community, where film-lovers come together to explore life's big ideas & experiences, slowly & thoughtfully, through the magic of t...
vickilesley.substack.com
Check out my new online community 'The Film Thread' - like a book group, but for films!
A slow cinema journey of curiosity & connection, tracing one theme across multiple films over many months. First season = atomic movies. Half price till the end of July 🤩 vickilesley.substack.com/p/welcome-to...
A slow cinema journey of curiosity & connection, tracing one theme across multiple films over many months. First season = atomic movies. Half price till the end of July 🤩 vickilesley.substack.com/p/welcome-to...
Whilst I found the repeated telling of events from different angles rather anti-climactic, I DID really like the choice to end the film on that deliberately suspended moment before whatever happened happened. This beautifully written piece articulates much better than I could why.
"Its final silence is not a full stop, but an ellipsis - a space of suspended meaning where the audience must imagine the unimaginable."
Read my latest in @thebulletin.org 👇
#HouseofDynamite #Netflix #NuclearWeapons #NuclearWar
Read my latest in @thebulletin.org 👇
#HouseofDynamite #Netflix #NuclearWeapons #NuclearWar
A radical act of cinematic restraint: How to understand the ending of ‘A House of Dynamite’
Why the most devastating moment in A House of Dynamite is the one we never see.
thebulletin.org
November 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Whilst I found the repeated telling of events from different angles rather anti-climactic, I DID really like the choice to end the film on that deliberately suspended moment before whatever happened happened. This beautifully written piece articulates much better than I could why.
Reposted by Vicki Lesley
Today at 11:30 AM CST / 12:30 PM EST, join the Bulletin for an expert discussion unpacking "A House of Dynamite."
Watch below. ⬇️
Watch below. ⬇️
Experts React: Netflix’s 'A House of Dynamite'
A nuclear missile is headed towards the United States in 'A House of Dynamite', Netflix’s new movie from director Kathryn Bigelow. Tension builds as leaders ...
youtube.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Today at 11:30 AM CST / 12:30 PM EST, join the Bulletin for an expert discussion unpacking "A House of Dynamite."
Watch below. ⬇️
Watch below. ⬇️
Reposted by Vicki Lesley
Nuclear testing you say?
"Nuclear Conquistadors: Military Colonialism
in #Nuclear Test Site Selection during the Cold
War”
#NuclearTesting #ColdWar #NukeSky
ipus.snu.ac.kr/eng/wp-conte...
"Nuclear Conquistadors: Military Colonialism
in #Nuclear Test Site Selection during the Cold
War”
#NuclearTesting #ColdWar #NukeSky
ipus.snu.ac.kr/eng/wp-conte...
October 31, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Nuclear testing you say?
"Nuclear Conquistadors: Military Colonialism
in #Nuclear Test Site Selection during the Cold
War”
#NuclearTesting #ColdWar #NukeSky
ipus.snu.ac.kr/eng/wp-conte...
"Nuclear Conquistadors: Military Colonialism
in #Nuclear Test Site Selection during the Cold
War”
#NuclearTesting #ColdWar #NukeSky
ipus.snu.ac.kr/eng/wp-conte...
Current reading, from my pile of charity shop finds. Published in 1964 and written by a Scottish mother of four whose first job was on a New Zealand sheep station and who later wrote crime & sci-fi novels. And that cover! I mean how could I possibly refuse? 😄 #nukesky
November 6, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Current reading, from my pile of charity shop finds. Published in 1964 and written by a Scottish mother of four whose first job was on a New Zealand sheep station and who later wrote crime & sci-fi novels. And that cover! I mean how could I possibly refuse? 😄 #nukesky
Just finished watching House of Dynamite. I made my son go to bed halfway through cos it was late and it’s school tomorrow. He was annoyed but I honestly think he already saw the best of it. It’s fantastic that Bigelow is tackling nuclear weapons but watching brought sadly diminishing returns for me
November 5, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Just finished watching House of Dynamite. I made my son go to bed halfway through cos it was late and it’s school tomorrow. He was annoyed but I honestly think he already saw the best of it. It’s fantastic that Bigelow is tackling nuclear weapons but watching brought sadly diminishing returns for me
My latest deep dive essay for my film club is out! I *really* enjoyed learning more about this late Soviet portrait of Chernobyl made just 3 years later, shot through with cinematic ambition, surreal humour & deep humanity. Shame it’s not better known #filmsky
open.substack.com/pub/vickiles...
open.substack.com/pub/vickiles...
10 Things to Know About... Raspad
Plus two Chernobyl-themed shorts to watch alongside
open.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:22 PM
My latest deep dive essay for my film club is out! I *really* enjoyed learning more about this late Soviet portrait of Chernobyl made just 3 years later, shot through with cinematic ambition, surreal humour & deep humanity. Shame it’s not better known #filmsky
open.substack.com/pub/vickiles...
open.substack.com/pub/vickiles...
Just finished up on a Zoom call and popped upstairs to see my son who’d arrived back from school in the meantime. After the briefest of pleasantries were exchanged he said, “Well I’ll let you get back to work…” How to tell me to get out of your bedroom without telling me to get out of your bedroom 😂
November 3, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Just finished up on a Zoom call and popped upstairs to see my son who’d arrived back from school in the meantime. After the briefest of pleasantries were exchanged he said, “Well I’ll let you get back to work…” How to tell me to get out of your bedroom without telling me to get out of your bedroom 😂
And just seen there’s an introduction from actor Ian McNeice too. Thank goodness for the iPlayer eh…😄
It’s so rare I ever scroll through the TV guide and find anything on I actually want to watch anymore. But tonight… BBC4 truly is spoiling us with gripping 1980s nuclear conspiracy thriller Edge of Darkness. Quite possibly one of the best British TV dramas ever. Don’t miss if you’ve never seen it!
November 1, 2025 at 10:06 PM
And just seen there’s an introduction from actor Ian McNeice too. Thank goodness for the iPlayer eh…😄
It’s so rare I ever scroll through the TV guide and find anything on I actually want to watch anymore. But tonight… BBC4 truly is spoiling us with gripping 1980s nuclear conspiracy thriller Edge of Darkness. Quite possibly one of the best British TV dramas ever. Don’t miss if you’ve never seen it!
November 1, 2025 at 9:59 PM
It’s so rare I ever scroll through the TV guide and find anything on I actually want to watch anymore. But tonight… BBC4 truly is spoiling us with gripping 1980s nuclear conspiracy thriller Edge of Darkness. Quite possibly one of the best British TV dramas ever. Don’t miss if you’ve never seen it!
You can watch Raspad in full on Youtube with English subtitles. I couldn't find a translated trailer but this one in the original Russian has very little dialogue and really conveys the essence of this damning, moving, blackly comic & grimly fascinating movie www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HFK...
«Розпад» (1990, Михайло Бєліков) (трейлер)
YouTube video by Довженко-Центр / Dovzhenko Center
www.youtube.com
October 23, 2025 at 9:38 PM
You can watch Raspad in full on Youtube with English subtitles. I couldn't find a translated trailer but this one in the original Russian has very little dialogue and really conveys the essence of this damning, moving, blackly comic & grimly fascinating movie www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HFK...
How did people in Kiev experience the catastrophe at Chernoby amidst official misinformation & a disintegrating society? That's what we'll be talking about in my online movie club this month, looking at the 1990 Soviet/Ukrainian film Raspad #filmsky #nukesky vickilesley.substack.com/p/the-film-t...
The Film Thread: your on-screen atomic drama pick for November
Confusion reigns as a reactor explodes and an empire collapses in late-Soviet Ukraine
vickilesley.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 9:30 PM
How did people in Kiev experience the catastrophe at Chernoby amidst official misinformation & a disintegrating society? That's what we'll be talking about in my online movie club this month, looking at the 1990 Soviet/Ukrainian film Raspad #filmsky #nukesky vickilesley.substack.com/p/the-film-t...
Finally looking through and closing some of the bajillion tabs I’ve got open on my phone and I found this gem (possibly from around the time I watched The Killing of Sister George). I bet Beryl & Derek were a right pair at parties 😄 m.youtube.com/watch?v=tyPs...
Beryl Reid At Home (1958)
YouTube video by British Pathé
m.youtube.com
October 15, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Finally looking through and closing some of the bajillion tabs I’ve got open on my phone and I found this gem (possibly from around the time I watched The Killing of Sister George). I bet Beryl & Derek were a right pair at parties 😄 m.youtube.com/watch?v=tyPs...
Reposted by Vicki Lesley
Final Destination had nothing on British public information films.
October 14, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Final Destination had nothing on British public information films.
Tomorrow morning. Join us! 🍿⚛️☕️🥐
Got any plans for Sunday morning? Why not pop in to my online film club for a cozy chat about this hilarious/weird documentary with me & the official historian at Aldermaston. Coffee, croissants & nuclear warheads! I'd love to see you there vickilesley.substack.com/p/10-things-... #filmsky #nukesky
10 Things to Know About... 'The Plutonium Circus'
Your introductory primer and companion short in The Film Thread this month
vickilesley.substack.com
October 11, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Tomorrow morning. Join us! 🍿⚛️☕️🥐
Reading about the amazing Greenham rebel women and enjoying some autumn sunshine in the community garden this morning. The reading/researching/thinking phase of a new film is such a nice place to be…
October 9, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Reading about the amazing Greenham rebel women and enjoying some autumn sunshine in the community garden this morning. The reading/researching/thinking phase of a new film is such a nice place to be…
Reposted by Vicki Lesley
October 7, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Got any plans for Sunday morning? Why not pop in to my online film club for a cozy chat about this hilarious/weird documentary with me & the official historian at Aldermaston. Coffee, croissants & nuclear warheads! I'd love to see you there vickilesley.substack.com/p/10-things-... #filmsky #nukesky
10 Things to Know About... 'The Plutonium Circus'
Your introductory primer and companion short in The Film Thread this month
vickilesley.substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Got any plans for Sunday morning? Why not pop in to my online film club for a cozy chat about this hilarious/weird documentary with me & the official historian at Aldermaston. Coffee, croissants & nuclear warheads! I'd love to see you there vickilesley.substack.com/p/10-things-... #filmsky #nukesky
Been reading a memoir from Greenham Common this morning and it's only making me even more excited about reading the new novel from @eanstruther.bsky.social Fallout, coming to your shelves next year. Check out the trailer! #nukesky
October 3, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Been reading a memoir from Greenham Common this morning and it's only making me even more excited about reading the new novel from @eanstruther.bsky.social Fallout, coming to your shelves next year. Check out the trailer! #nukesky
This is appalling news!
Labour ask guy who says ME/CFS isn't real to review mental health & neurodiversity diagnoses, this is gna go exactly how they want it to, in order to push ppl out of access to healthcare, benefits & support – what better way to save £ than erase patients?
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/controv...
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/controv...
October 2, 2025 at 5:27 PM
This is appalling news!
You know that feeling when you've done something a hundred times and you just have to celebrate by listening to a Tragically Hip song? Just me then😄 If you've absolutely no idea what I'm on about, give this a read and all will become clear...
Monthly Meander Sept '25: Ahead by a Century
Celebrating the wins & bearing the stings with an iconic song
vickilesley.substack.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:55 PM
You know that feeling when you've done something a hundred times and you just have to celebrate by listening to a Tragically Hip song? Just me then😄 If you've absolutely no idea what I'm on about, give this a read and all will become clear...
Two freaky Fridays, some ludicrous flooding, yacht rock and the mental load - just some of the cultural snacks I’ve got to share with you this month. Also a whole lot of Australians. Check it out 🤩
Round-up Meander Aug/Sept '25: Good things to read, watch & listen to 📚📺🎧
Here come the Aussies...
open.substack.com
September 30, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Two freaky Fridays, some ludicrous flooding, yacht rock and the mental load - just some of the cultural snacks I’ve got to share with you this month. Also a whole lot of Australians. Check it out 🤩
Reposted by Vicki Lesley
CRACKS (1975): Legendary Sesame Street animation that was, for decades, considered lost media until it popped up on YouTube. Creepy, queasy, and wonderfully weird, it features legendary sax player Mel Martin and Dorothy Moskowitz from experimental rock band The United States of America.
September 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
CRACKS (1975): Legendary Sesame Street animation that was, for decades, considered lost media until it popped up on YouTube. Creepy, queasy, and wonderfully weird, it features legendary sax player Mel Martin and Dorothy Moskowitz from experimental rock band The United States of America.
If I was in London I would one hundred percent be booking a ticket for this... @thegardencinema.bsky.social continue to excel with their brilliant programming 👏🏻https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/peter-watkins-the-war-game-at-60-with-peter-kennard/
Peter Watkins' The War Game at 60 with Peter Kennard / The Garden Cinema
We find ourselves in a year of atomic anniversaries, 80 years since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and with a strong sense that a resurgent nuclear arms race is underway again. However, anothe...
www.thegardencinema.co.uk
September 23, 2025 at 10:22 AM
If I was in London I would one hundred percent be booking a ticket for this... @thegardencinema.bsky.social continue to excel with their brilliant programming 👏🏻https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/peter-watkins-the-war-game-at-60-with-peter-kennard/
Wanna come to 'The Plutonium Circus'? Yep it's off to the Lone Star State for our next pick in my online film club currently taking a slow tour across the atomic age. Just £8 gets you full access to my deep dive intro post & our online meetup. Details here⬇️ #filmsky open.substack.com/pub/vickiles...
The Film Thread: this month's atomic story on screen 🎬🪡⚛️
Big characters & big questions in a rarely-seen, razor-sharp doc from the American South
open.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Wanna come to 'The Plutonium Circus'? Yep it's off to the Lone Star State for our next pick in my online film club currently taking a slow tour across the atomic age. Just £8 gets you full access to my deep dive intro post & our online meetup. Details here⬇️ #filmsky open.substack.com/pub/vickiles...
A flying visit to the beautiful Othona Community nestled by the mudflats on the Essex coast, in the shadow of Bradwell nuclear power station, to screen my film at an intimate gathering of artists, archaeologists & activists. What a landscape. I hope to come again someday and stay a little longer.
September 7, 2025 at 9:39 AM
A flying visit to the beautiful Othona Community nestled by the mudflats on the Essex coast, in the shadow of Bradwell nuclear power station, to screen my film at an intimate gathering of artists, archaeologists & activists. What a landscape. I hope to come again someday and stay a little longer.