Director John Pilger Discusses “The Coming War on China” on The SOUNDS Podcast with Tom Needham

Tom Needham presents an exclusive interview with renowned documentary filmmaker John Pilger, who will discuss his films “Utopia” and “The Coming War on China.". Pilger is also widely known for his work on films about Julian Assange, including “The War You Don’t See” and his 2007 film, “The War on Democracy,” which examines U.S. interventions in Latin America.

He will also discuss "Utopia” a documentary that sheds light on the struggles of Aboriginal Australians. The title refers to Utopia, Northern Territory, one of the most impoverished areas in Australia. As producer, writer, and director, Pilger visited Utopia and found Aboriginal families still living in dire conditions without access to electricity or running water. The film highlights the alarming fact that Aboriginal Australians are imprisoned at ten times the rate Black South Africans were under apartheid. Pilger also critiques the exploitation of Aboriginal lands for mining, noting that tax revenue from this mining has done little to alleviate their poverty. “Utopia” is available on Icarus Films DVD and video-on-demand.

Pilger’s latest work, “The Coming War on China,” offers a stark warning about the growing threat of nuclear conflict with China. The film highlights the significant buildup of military bases around China, the largest since World War II, and recounts the history of U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. Beginning in 1946, the U.S. conducted a 12-year series of nuclear bomb tests, in part to study the effects of radiation on the local population, whom Pilger describes as being treated like “guinea pigs.”