Half-Life of Memory: A Documentary Preserving the Story of Rocky Flats

Rocky Flats is a place many Coloradans drive past without knowing what once stood there—or why its history continues to matter.

Half-Life of Memory is a documentary by Colorado artist and filmmaker Jeff Gipe that examines the history and legacy of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant through archival material and interviews with people whose lives intersect with its story. Gipe himself grew up near Rocky Flats, where his father worked.

Telling the story through the people who lived it

The documentary brings together perspectives from people with very different connections to Rocky Flats.

Among those featured are former Rocky Flats worker Judy Padilla; retired FBI agent Jon Lipsky, who participated in the 1989 FBI investigation of the plant; Wes McKinley, foreman of the Special Federal Grand Jury that investigated Rocky Flats; former Jefferson County Public Health director Dr. Mark Johnson; and Rocky Flats Downwinders co-founder Tiffany Hansen.

Tiffany shares the perspective of someone who grew up downwind of Rocky Flats without fully understanding what the plant was at the time—and who later began asking questions about the health experiences being reported by people who had lived in surrounding communities.

Those questions ultimately helped lead to the creation of Rocky Flats Downwinders.

Why this documentary matters

One of RFD's central goals is to keep the history of Rocky Flats visible.

The buildings are gone. The former industrial site has been transformed. New communities have grown around it. And many people living in the Denver metropolitan area today know very little about the nuclear weapons plant that operated here for decades.

Half-Life of Memory approaches that problem through film—preserving memories, historical footage and firsthand perspectives that help a new generation understand why Rocky Flats remains part of Colorado's story. The filmmakers describe the documentary as an effort to examine both Rocky Flats' past and the continuing questions surrounding the nation's nuclear legacy.

For Rocky Flats Downwinders, preserving these stories matters. People do not have to reach the same conclusions about every aspect of Rocky Flats to benefit from understanding what happened here, hearing from people who experienced it, and exploring the history for themselves.

Watch and learn more

The official Half-Life of Memory website includes the film trailer, information about the documentary and its participants, current viewing options, press coverage, and upcoming screenings and events.

Visit the official Half-Life of Memory website