Wackersdorf (working title: Stubborn) is a German feature film by from 2018 starring as Hans Schuierer, the district administrator of the Schwandorf district, who fights against the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant (WAA) in Bavaria.
Plot In the 1980s, the Bavarian state government planned the construction of a nuclear reprocessing plant (WAA) in the municipality of Wackersdorf in the Upper Palatinate region. This was intended to bring economic growth to the Schwandorf district, which was experiencing rising unemployment. SPD District Administrator Hans Schuierer was under political pressure to create opportunities for the population. Therefore, he was initially enthusiastic about the idea of building the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant (WAA). He initially ignored isolated protests against the project.
Only when the Free State of Bavaria uses force against protests by a citizens' initiative advocating for the protection of nature in their homeland, without any legal basis, does Schuierer slowly begin to have doubts and start investigating whether the facility is really as harmless as claimed by the Franz Josef Strauss government.Alamode Filmverleih: Wackersdorf, Almondefilmfilmstarts.de: Wackersdorf. filmstarts, Juni 2018
He reads books on the subject and discusses it with the citizens' initiative against the WAA. Since the decision regarding the approval of building applications rests with him as district administrator, he sees himself in a strong position. However, the Bavarian state government passes a law that strips district administrators of their power ("Lex Schuierer"). The local SPD (Social Democratic Party) and the mayor of Wackersdorf turn against him.
In a speech at the WAA construction fence, Schuierer says that Franz Josef Strauss must have learned from his visits to authoritarian rulers and that he is practicing a "democracy." The Bavarian state government subsequently demands an apology from Schuierer, and when he refuses, the government initiates disciplinary proceedings against him.
Original film footage of the clashes between demonstrators and the police is shown.
On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurs. Construction of the WAA is halted in 1989.
Production Filming took place from October 5 to November 14, 2017, at original locations in the district of Schwandorf, the Regensburg City Library, and Munich. The film was produced by Munich-based if... Productions, with the participation of Bayerischer Rundfunk and Arte. Production was supported by the German Federal Film Fund, the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.Wackersdorf, filmportal.de
Christian Röhrs was responsible for costume design, Marc Parisotto for sound, Stephanie Maile for casting, Renate Schmaderer for production design, and Dana Bieler for makeup. The mother of actress Anna Maria Sturm, politician Irene Maria Sturm from Schwandorf, was a prominent anti-nuclear power plant activist.BR.de: Wackersdorf-Film feiert Premiere beim Filmfest München. Bayerischer Rundfunk, 6 June 2018Die Kämpferinnen von Wackersdorf, Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 10 September 2018KinoKino: Wackersdorf Drehbericht, kinokino, 9 November 2017 on YouTube, 4 min
Archival material used Wackersdorf interweaves filmed scenes from the feature film with archival footage, attempting to recreate the visual language of the 1980s. The film incorporates the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 into the fictional narrative using archival clips from the Tagesschau news program.Tagesschau, 29 April 1986, Tagesschau (German TV programme)„Wackersdorf“ zeigt ein inneres Dilemma. Der neue WAA-Film erzählt von den Anfängen der Proteste. Er will Fiktion sein – und kann doch von der Realität nicht lassen. Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 13 June 2018 The legendary 1986 election campaign appearance of Bavarian minister-president Franz Josef Strauss in Schwandorf is also shown in two clips.Strauß in Schwandorf: Grüne Gefahr, NDR-Panorama (German TV program) 1986, 7 min.1:45: "We cannot do without nuclear energy for a foreseeable future because there is no substitute for it. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you or doesn't understand the issues. Of course, you can do without anything. You can live in a tent and say we don't need a house anymore. You can ride a bicycle and say we don't need a car anymore. You can sail and say we don't need air travel anymore, but that's not shaping the future. That's a march into the past."1:46: "If you had a spark of democratic discipline, a spark of human decency, a spark of normal behavior, you would shut your mouth now instead of constantly trying to bother us." The then Federal Minister of the Interior, Friedrich Zimmermann, is also included with a brief statement.
Film producer as WAA protester
Upper Palatinate film producer Ingo Fliess (if... Productions) experienced the protests against the WAA firsthand at the time. "I wasn't a brave fighter on the front lines - more of an ordinary demonstrator. The resistance against the WAA and the Strauß government changed our worldview; we became skeptical and angry in the face of such injustice."„Wackersdorf“-Produzent: „Blöd darf man dem Oberpfälzer nicht kommen!“ ("Wackersdorf" producer: "You can't try to pull a fast one on the Upper Palatinate locals!"), Oberpfalz Marketing e. V. Regensburg
Release The premiere took place on June 29, 2018, at the Munich Film Festival, where the production opened the New German Cinema section and received the Filmfest München Audience Award. The film was released in German cinemas on September 20, 2018, and in Austrian cinemas on September 21, 2018.Wackersdorf, filmportal.de
The film was first broadcast on Arte on June 5, 2020.Our homeland: The people of the Upper Palatinate were happy to forgo a bright future: “Wackersdorf” tells the story of the nuclear protests in the 1980s, which led to scenes resembling civil war in northern Bavaria, in a clever, nuanced and extremely exciting way. Weser Kurier, 26 May 2020 In 2022, the film portrait Hans Schuierer: The Man Against the Nuclear Plant was released as part of Arte's documentary series Based on a True Story, which uses excerpts from the film.Nach einer wahren Geschichte - Hans Schuierer - Die ganze Doku, ArteHans Schuierer: Der Mann gegen die Atomanlage, Arte 2022 on YouTube, 30 min
Reception Jana Wolf, writing in the Mittelbayerische Zeitung, pointed out that the weakness of the otherwise gripping film lies in its inability to clearly distinguish between historical documentary and fictionalized account. "It seems the filmmakers wanted to combine both: to capture the power of the resistance 30 years ago on film while simultaneously maintaining the artistic freedom of fiction. This approach doesn't quite work out in the end."„Wackersdorf“ zeigt ein inneres Dilemma. Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 13. June 2018
Sascha Westphal, writing in the weekly newspaper Der Freitag, described it as an "extremely knowledgeable and admirably detailed reconstruction of a social conflict.":de:Sascha Westphal: Ein Funke Anstand. in: Der Freitag, 20 September 2018, p.19
Andreas Fischer, in the Weser Kurier, called the film "an intelligent film about arbitrariness and resistance, about obedience and civil courage," which tells the story of the anti-nuclear protests in a nuanced, multifaceted, and extremely compelling way. The historical scenes at the WAA construction fence from the Tagesschau news program show how important it is "to doubt, to be courageous, and to stand up for democratic values. Then as now."Our homeland: The people of the Upper Palatinate were happy to forgo a bright future: “Wackersdorf” tells the story of the nuclear protests in the 1980s, which led to scenes resembling civil war in northern Bavaria, in a clever, nuanced and extremely exciting way. Weser Kurier, 26 May 2020
Heribert Prantl: "It is a magnificent film, a Heimatfilm in the best sense of the word, a film about small acts of resistance, which are sometimes great."Prantls Blick: Von Wackersdorf nach Hambach in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 30. September 2018
Awards and nominations 2018: New German Cinema Award – Nominations in the categories of Director, Producer, and ScreenplayDie Nominierungen für den Förderpreis Neues Deutsches Kino (The nominations for the New German Cinema Award), 18 June 2018
2018: Munich Film Festival – Filmfest München Audience AwardDer Bayern 2 und SZ Publikumspreis (The Bayern 2 and SZ Audience Award)
2019: German Film Critics' Award 2018 – Nomination in the category Best Actor ()Nominierungen für den Preis der deutschen Filmkritik 2018 stehen fest (Nominations for the 2018 German Film Critics' Award have been announced.), 23 January 2019
2019: Bavarian Film Award 2018 – Special PrizeBayerischer Filmpreis in München: Gewinner bekanntgegeben (Bavarian Film Awards in Munich: Winners announced), 25 January 2019
2019: Fajr International Film Festival 2019 – Silver Medal for Best ScriptFajr International Film Festival 2019 Winners
2019: German Film Award 2019 – Award in the category Best Film ScoreDeutscher Filmpreis: Wackersdorf (German Film Award: Wackersdorf)Deutscher Filmpreis für Musik in BR-Koproduktion „Wackersdorf“, 3 May 2019
2019: German Acting Award 2019 – Nomination in the category Best Actor in a Leading Role (Johannes Zeiler)Deutscher Schauspielpreis 2019: Das sind die Nominierten (German Acting Award 2019: These are the nominees), DWDL.de
2019: Culture Prize of the Upper Palatinate District ()„Wackersdorf“-Regisseur erhält Kulturpreis des Bezirks Oberpfalz ("Wackersdorf" director receives cultural prize of the Upper Palatinate district), Wochenblatt, 4 July 2019
The German Film and Media Evaluation Board (FBW) awarded the film the rating "particularly valuable".Wackersdorf German Film and Media Evaluation Board (FBW)
Theater adaptation A theater adaptation of the film premiered at the Amberg City Theater on March 12, 2022. The Swabian State Theater adapted Oliver Haffner's film for the stage and also created educational materials for it.Theaterpädagogische Materialmappe - Wackersdorf (Theatre education material folder), Junges Landestheater Schwaben
Film ducuments Everything you always wanted to know about Wackersdorf - Siegmar Warnecke in conversation with Oliver Haffner, 93 minEverything you always wanted to know about Wackersdorf - Siegmar Warnecke in conversation with Oliver Haffner, Artfront-News on YouTube, 93 min
Report on the filming of the movie Wackersdorf, BR 2017Wackersdorf Drehbericht, Bayerischer Rundfunk 2017, YouTube 4 min
Looking back to the future: "Wackersdorf", (GEP)-Filmshow 2018, 7 minLooking back to the future: "Wackersdorf", Gemeinschaftswerk der Evangelischen Publizistik (GEP)-Filmshow 2018 on YouTube, 7 min
Film discussion with Oliver Haffner, Deutsches Filminstitut 2019, 65 minWACKERSDORF (DE 2018) // Filmgespräch mit Oliver Haffner, Deutsches Filminstitut (DFF) & Filmmuseum, 8 August 2019, 65 min
Wackersdorf (2018) - Oliver Haffner in conversation with Felix Moeller 2019, 28 minWackersdorf (2018) - Oliver Haffner im Gespräch mit , 27 September 2019, 28 min
Film premiere of Wackersdorf in Stuttgart with Oliver Haffner 2018, 15 minWackersdorf - film premiere in Stuttgart, As part of a cinema tour, director Oliver Haffner also came to the Delphi cinema in Stuttgart on September 24, 2018 to personally present his film Wackersdorf. laserhotline on YouTube 15 min
Film premiere of "Wackersdorf" with director in Amberg, OTV 2018, 6 minFilmpremiere von „Wackersdorf“ mit Regisseur in Amberg with Ingo Fliess, Hans Schuierer, , , 17 September 2018, 6 min
External links
IMDb crew united filmportal.de Film about Wackersdorf: Interview with director Oliver Haffner, Die Welt, 22 January 2018 Educational materials accompanying the film Wackersdorf, Vision Kino Wackersdorf - Press kit, Alamode Filmdistribution on Deutschland summt! 2018
References