Prairie Surf CEO, Film Director Discuss Manhattan Project Scientist Documentary 'The Accelerator'

As the 2024 deadCenter Film Festival kicks off in Oklahoma City, several local filmmakers are submitting their work to be part of the lineup.

"The Accelerator," a documentary discussing the life and career of Manhattan Project scientist Dr. Robert Wilson, who helped the United States develop the first atomic weapons on the planet, was created by filmmakers at Prairie Surf Studios in Oklahoma City.

The film, director Wendy Garrett said, is a way to dig into Wilson's life before and after his work on the atomic bomb.

"If the story is the same at the beginning as it is at the end, you weren't listening along the way," Garrett said. "We really had an opportunity to learn about who this man wa,s and his contribution not only to the physics world, but also to the medical world."

Prairie Surf CEO Matt Payne said Wilson's work in the medical world is what led to their inspiration to create "The Accelerator."

"When we were just starting Prairie Surf, there was a guy... that reached out, and he works in the proton therapy industry," Payne said. "He said he had a movie that he wanted to make about the guy that founded this kind of proton therapy."

In the wake of success left behind by "Oppenheimer," another film discussing a prominent Manhattan Project scientist, Garrett said she wanted to make a film about a scientist whose creation caused so much death finding forgiveness within himself.

"It's a biopic about a man that was searching for life and meaning, and we hope that he accomplished that in the end," Garrett said. "We think he did, we feel like the film is a great opportunity to showcase that and encourage us all to reach beyond who we are and what we are."

Before moviegoers leave to watch their film though, Garrett said she wants viewers to see Wilson's work after leaving the Manhattan Project.

"I want them to know that this man really loved life and was a dedicated physicist that created a life-saving treatment for cancer, in addition to dealing with being a part of the Manhattan Project," Garrett said. "It destroyed his soul a little bit, so I think that some of what he did later in life helped to rebuild that."

"The Accelerator" debuts at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Harkins Theaters in Bricktown. For more information, click here.