Freestyle picks up Half-Life of Memory: America’s Forgotten Atomic Bomb Factory

Former Rocky Flats worker Judy Padilla standing in front of the former bomb factory—now a wildlife refuge

Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, proudly announces the acquisition of North American VOD rights to the sociopolitical documentary HALF-LIFE OF MEMORY: AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN ATOMIC BOMB FACTORY, which will be available to rent/own on all North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms, as well as on DVD, starting January 24, 2025.

The documentary HALF-LIFE OF MEMORY: AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN ATOMIC BOMB FACTORY tells the story of how the U.S. secretly manufactured thousands of atomic weapons in the suburbs of Denver, leaving behind a toxic legacy that will persist for generations. Colorado’s Rocky Flats plant produced a staggering 70 thousand atomic bombs, each serving as a “trigger” for thermonuclear warheads. Concealed by government secrecy, the plant’s fires, leaks, and illicit dumping of nuclear waste contaminated the Denver area with long-lived radioactive toxins. A major and highly visible plutonium fire sparked a decade of mass protests, culminating in an unprecedented FBI raid that ultimately shuttered the plant. Today, the radioactive legacy of Rocky Flats continues to threaten public health, yet surprisingly few people are aware the plant ever existed. Through powerful testimonials and extraordinary archival media, HALF-LIFE OF MEMORY exposes Rocky Flats’ dark past and enduring impact, prompting critical reflection on the implications of the nation’s renewed nuclear weapons buildup.

Check out the official site.

Written and directed by Jeff Gipe, HALF-LIFE OF MEMORY: AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN ATOMIC BOMB FACTORY was produced by Gipe and his Half-Life Productions and Dan de Jesus via DanDJLab. The subjects profiled and interviewed throughout the documentary include Judy Padilla, Jon Lipsky, Wes McKinley, Dr. Mark Johnson, Tiffany Hansen, Shaunessy McNeely-Kieng, David Lucas, David Abelson, Scott Surovchak, Judy Danielson, Elena Klaver, Chet Tchozewski, Roy Young, Jim Gipe, Carol Jensen, Garth Gibbons, Marianne Webb, Brittany Kelly, David Wood, Anonymous Nuclear Physicist, Marc Williams, Mary Harlow, and Hannah Nordhaus.

“HALF-LIFE OF MEMORY is more than just a film; it’s an effort to uncover the hidden truths of Rocky Flats and to amplify the voices of those affected,” said filmmaker Jeff Gipe. “With rising nuclear tensions and a new buildup of nuclear weapons underway, addressing the radioactive legacy of Rocky Flats is more urgent than ever to ensure the lessons from its past are not forgotten.”

Freestyle Digital Media negotiated the deal to acquire HALF-LIFE OF MEMORY: AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN ATOMIC BOMB FACTORY directly with Glen Reynolds of Circus Road Films.