Spaltprozesse â Wackersdorf 001 (Fission Processes - Wackersdorf 001) is a 1986 documentary film by directors and producers and , depicting life in the Upper Palatinate region in Bavaria surrounding the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant (WAA). Fission Processes (cf nuclear fission) is part of the Nuclear power Trilogy, which also includes ' (Residual Risk, 1989) and ' (The Eighth Commandment, 1991). A fourth film, ' (Half-Lives), was made in 2006.
On February 4, 1985, it was announced that the WAA (Wackersdorf nuclear reprocessing plant) was to be built in Wackersdorf. The film "Spaltprozesse" (Fission Processes) describes the nuclear policy intentions and the danger to the population from radioactive emissions, and depicts the ecological and landscape destruction. The focus is on the threatened people and their political and personal processes of change. The title "Spaltprozesse" is ambiguous. On the one hand, it refers physically to the splitting of atomic nuclei, and on the other hand, to the division of society during the conflicts surrounding the WAA. The filmmakers, including Bertram Verhaag, were particularly interested in the question of what happens to a "deference-loving, Catholic population" suddenly confronted with such a WAA project.
Spaltprozesse focuses on the citizens' protests and the changing political consciousness. By depicting the power dynamics between the administration and nuclear companies, the film also sheds light on manifest contradictions between constitutional norms and constitutional reality, thus making an important contribution to political education.
The film uses excerpts from Zaunkämpfe (Fence fights) (Medienwerkstatt Franken), WAAhnsinn â Der Wackersdorf-Film, evidence-gathering videos (Filmstelle PP-Middle Franconia), and excerpts from contemporary reports by ARD and ZDF.
Hans Schuierer, Karin Rostek (Mother), Armin Weià(Chemist), Robert Jungk (Futurist), Franz Josef Strauss, Helmut Kohl, Friedrich Zimmermann, , Heinz Riesenhuber, (Activist), Joseph Höffner (Cardinal), Gerhard Löwenthal (Presenter, ZDF Magazine), (Priest), Walter Angebrand (Doctor), (Priest), Konstantin Wecker (Song: The tree), Rio Reiser (Song: The Dream is over) and others.
In 2024, the documentary "Spaltprozesse" (Split Processes) was screened at the former WAA site in the BMW plant, and director Bertram Verhaag answered questions from the audience.
The documentary won eleven awards and was the most successful documentary film of 1987/88.