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{{For|the Norwegian politician and psychiatrist|Anders Gåsland}}
{{About||the Norwegian politician and psychiatrist|Anders Gåsland|the Canadian real estate company and former fuel retailer|Cal Nichols}}

{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Gasland
| name = Gasland
| image = Gaslandlogo.jpg
| image = Gaslandlogo.jpg
| caption =
| caption =
| director = [[Josh Fox]]
| director = [[Josh Fox]]
| producer = Trish Adlesic<br>Molly Gandour<br>Josh Fox<br>[[David Roma]]
| producer = Trish Adlesic<br>Josh Fox<br>Molly Gandour
| writer = Josh Fox
| writer = Josh Fox
| screenplay =
| screenplay =
| story =
| story =
| based on = <!-- {{based on|title of the original work|writer of the original work}} -->
| based_on = <!-- {{based on|title of the original work|writer of the original work}} -->
| narrator = Josh Fox
| narrator = Josh Fox
| starring =
| starring =
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| budget =
| budget =
}}
}}
'''''Gasland''''' is a 2010 American documentary written and directed by [[Josh Fox]]. The film focuses on communities in the United States where [[natural gas]] drilling activity was a concern and, specifically, on [[hydraulic fracturing]] ("fracking"), a method of stimulating production in otherwise impermeable rock.


⚫
'''''Gasland''''' is a 2010 American [[documentary film]] written and directed by [[Josh Fox]]. It focuses on communities in the United States where [[natural gas]] drilling activity was a concern and, specifically, on [[hydraulic fracturing]] ("fracking"), a method of stimulating production in otherwise impermeable rock. The film was a key mobilizer for the [[anti-fracking movement]],<ref>{{Cite journal|title = "No Fracking Way!" Documentary Film, Discursive Opportunity, and Local Opposition against Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States, 2010 to 2013|url = http://asr.sagepub.com/content/80/5/934|journal = American Sociological Review|date = 2015-10-01|issn = 0003-1224|pages = 934–959|volume = 80|issue = 5|doi = 10.1177/0003122415598534|first1 = Ion Bogdan|last1 = Vasi|first2 = Edward T.|last2 = Walker|first3 = John S.|last3 = Johnson|first4 = Hui Fen|last4 = Tan|s2cid = 146633724}}</ref> and "brought the term 'hydraulic fracturing' into the nation's living rooms" according to ''The New York Times''.<ref name="NYT20110224">{{citation|newspaper=The New York Times|title=Groundtruthing Academy Award Nominee 'Gasland'|author=Mike SORAGHAN |date=February 24, 2011|url=https://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/02/24/24greenwire-groundtruthing-academy-award-nominee-gasland-33228.html}}</ref>
⚫
Fracking is a technique that has been used routinely since the late 1940s as an aid to stimulating production in oil and gas wells.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hassebroek|first=W.E.|last2=Waters|first2=A.B.|date=1964-07-01|title=Advancements Through 15 Years of Fracturing|url=http://www.onepetro.org/doi/10.2118/801-PA|journal=Journal of Petroleum Technology|language=en|volume=16|issue=07|pages=760–764|doi=10.2118/801-PA|issn=0149-2136}}</ref> [[Horizontal drilling]], a recent innovation in drilling techniques, can create horizontal pathways deep within the earth, and has successfully incorporated hydraulic fracturing to release fluids from shale formations. Horizontal drilling coupled with fracking has transformed the energy business, enabled vast new supplies of natural gas, and advanced the goal of [[United States energy independence]].


⚫
Fracking is a technique that has been used routinely since the late 1940s as an aid to stimulating production in oil and gas wells.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hassebroek|first1=W.E.|last2=Waters|first2=A.B.|date=1964-07-01|title=Advancements Through 15 Years of Fracturing|url=http://www.onepetro.org/doi/10.2118/801-PA|journal=Journal of Petroleum Technology|language=en|volume=16|issue=7|pages=760–764|doi=10.2118/801-PA|issn=0149-2136|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Horizontal drilling]], a recent innovation in drilling techniques, can create horizontal pathways deep within the Earth, and has successfully incorporated hydraulic fracturing to release fluids from shale formations. Horizontal drilling coupled with fracking has transformed the energy business, enabled vast new supplies of natural gas, and advanced the goal of [[United States energy independence]].
⚫
The film was a key mobilizer for the [[anti-fracking movement]],<ref>{{Cite journal|title = "No Fracking Way!" Documentary Film, Discursive Opportunity, and Local Opposition against Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States, 2010 to 2013|url = http://asr.sagepub.com/content/80/5/934|journal = American Sociological Review|date = 2015-10-01|issn = 0003-1224|pages = 934–959|volume = 80|issue = 5|doi = 10.1177/0003122415598534|first = Ion Bogdan|last = Vasi|first2 = Edward T.|last2 = Walker|first3 = John S.|last3 = Johnson|first4 = Hui Fen|last4 = Tan}}</ref> and "brought the term 'hydraulic fracturing' into the nation's living rooms" according to ''The New York Times''.<ref name="NYT20110224">{{citation|newspaper=The New York Times|title=Groundtruthing Academy Award Nominee 'Gasland'|author=Mike SORAGHAN |date=February 24, 2011|url=https://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/02/24/24greenwire-groundtruthing-academy-award-nominee-gasland-33228.html}}</ref> The film was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]].<ref name="NYT20110224" /><ref>{{citation|work=[[Talk of the Nation]]|publisher=NPR|title=Sparks Fly Over 'Gasland' Drilling Documentary|date=February 24, 2011|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/02/24/134031183/Gasland-Takes-On-Natural-Gas-Drilling-Industry}}</ref>

The film premiered at the [[2010 Sundance Film Festival]], where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Documentary. In June 2010, it premiered on [[HBO]] to an audience of 3 million homes, and it was seen by over 250,000 audience members during a 250-city grassroots tour. Among its numerous nominations and awards, the film was nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature|Best Documentary Feature]] at the [[83rd Academy Awards]]<ref name="NYT20110224" /><ref>{{citation|title=Sparks Fly Over 'Gasland' Drilling Documentary|date=February 24, 2011|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/02/24/134031183/Gasland-Takes-On-Natural-Gas-Drilling-Industry|work=[[Talk of the Nation]]|publisher=NPR}}</ref> and won Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming at the [[63rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards|63rd Primetime Emmy Awards]].


==Synopsis==
==Synopsis==
[[File:John Fenton of Pavillion Wyoming - 2012-09-15.jpg|thumb|right|John Fenton, a farmer and rancher from Pavillion, Wyoming, become an internationally recognized anti-hydraulic fracturing activist following his appearance in ''Gasland''. He is pictured here at a public event in Sheridan, Wyoming, on September 15, 2012.
[[File:John Fenton of Pavillion Wyoming - 2012-09-15.jpg|thumb|right|John Fenton, a farmer and rancher from Pavillion, Wyoming, became an internationally recognized anti-hydraulic fracturing activist following his appearance in ''Gasland''. He is pictured here at a public event in Sheridan, Wyoming, on September 15, 2012.
<ref>[http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2120040/csg-industrys-solution-bury-proof/?cs=390] Illawarra Mercury Website (Australia). Fenton, John. (2014, February 28). CSG industry’s solution: bury proof. (Retrieved 2014-03-18.)</ref> |289x289px]]
<ref>[http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2120040/csg-industrys-solution-bury-proof/?cs=390] Illawarra Mercury Website (Australia). Fenton, John. (2014, February 28). CSG industry’s solution: bury proof. (Retrieved 2014-03-18.)</ref> |289x289px]]
Fox narrates his reception of a letter in May, 2008, from a natural gas company offering to lease his family's land in [[Milanville, Pennsylvania]] for $100,000 to drill for gas.<ref>[http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/9626/GasLand Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) film page on ''Gasland'']. 2010-11-19</ref> Fox then set out to see how communities are being affected in the west where a natural gas drilling boom has been underway for the last decade. He spent time with citizens in their homes and on their land as they relayed their stories of natural gas drilling in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas, among others. He spoke with residents who have experienced a variety of chronic health problems directly traceable to contamination of their air, of their water wells or of [[surface water]]. In some instances, the residents are reporting that they obtained a court injunction or settlement money from [[list of United States natural gas companies|gas companies]] to replace the affected water supplies with [[drinking water|potable water]] or [[portable water purification|water purification kits]].<ref>Quoted from the ''Gasland'' documentary itself, at about minutes 35-40.</ref>
[[Josh Fox]] describes his receipt of a letter in May 2008 from a gas company, offering a signing bonus of nearly $100,000 to lease his family's land in [[Milanville, Pennsylvania]], to drill for natural gas,<ref>[http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/9626/GasLand Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) film page on ''Gasland''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506003645/http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/9626/GasLand |date=2011-05-06 }}. 2010-11-19</ref> after which he sets out to see how communities across the nation are being affected by the natural gas drilling boom. Beginning in nearby [[Dimock, Pennsylvania|Dimock]] before driving to locations as far away as Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas, where the boom began a decade earlier, he spends time with citizens in their homes and on their land and hears stories about how hydraulic fracturing has contaminated their air, water wells, and [[surface water]] with [[methane]] and toxic chemicals, leading to a variety of chronic health problems and, sometimes, tap water that can be lit on fire. Although some residents have obtained court injunctions or settlement money from [[list of United States natural gas companies|gas companies]] to replace the affected water supplies with [[drinking water|potable water]] or [[portable water purification|water purification kits]], the companies continue to insist that fracking has never been proven to be the cause of any contamination.<ref>Quoted from the ''Gasland'' documentary itself, at about minutes 35-40.</ref> Fox is particularly troubled by what he learns because there are plans to begin drilling for natural gas in the portion of the [[Marcellus Formation|Marcellus Shale]] formation that overlaps with the [[New York City water supply system|New York City Watershed]] and the [[Delaware River#Watershed|Delaware River Basin]], which together provide unfiltered drinking water to 15.6 million people in New York City, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Scientists, government employees, and politicians describe how the [[Energy Policy Act of 2005]] exempted hydraulic fracturing from the [[Safe Drinking Water Act]],<ref>Energy Policy Act of 2005. Pub. L. 109-58, TITLE III, Subtitle C, SEC. 322. [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-109publ58/pdf/PLAW-109publ58.pdf Hydraulic fracturing]. 2011-02-06</ref> making the practice essentially unregulated, and, in the end, Fox finds himself in the halls of Congress as a subcommittee discusses the [[Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act]], "a bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal a certain exemption for hydraulic fracturing"<ref>111th United States Congress. [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1215 "S. 1215: Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act."] 2010-04-27</ref> (the proposal never made it past the committee stage).

Throughout the documentary, Fox reached out to scientists, politicians, and gas industry executives and ultimately found himself in the halls of Congress as a subcommittee was discussing the [[Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act]], "a bill to amend the [[Safe Drinking Water Act]] to repeal a certain exemption for hydraulic fracturing."<ref>111th United States Congress. [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1215 "S. 1215: Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act."] 2010-04-27</ref> Hydraulic fracturing was exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act in the [[Energy Policy Act of 2005]].<ref>Energy Policy Act of 2005. Pub. L. 109-58, TITLE III, Subtitle C, SEC. 322. [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-109publ58/pdf/PLAW-109publ58.pdf Hydraulic fracturing]. 2011-02-06</ref>


==Production==
==Production==
[[File:Josh Fox - Filmmaker - playing banjo 2011-11-05.jpg|thumb|left|Josh Fox plays his banjo at a jam session following an environmental meeting in Sheridan, Wyoming, USA, on November 5, 2011. Fox was the featured speaker.|218x218px]]
[[File:Josh Fox - Filmmaker - playing banjo 2011-11-05.jpg|thumb|left|[[Josh Fox]] plays his banjo at a jam session following an environmental meeting at which he was the featured speaker in Sheridan, Wyoming, on November 5, 2011.|218x218px]]
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''Gasland'' was Fox's first documentary and second film, following ''Memorial Day'', a narrative feature from 2008. He made the film over the course of about eighteen months and often worked as a one-man crew while filming, though later in the process he sometimes employed additional camera operators.<ref>MakingOf. {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20100227071259/http://makingof.com/posts/watch/1335/-gasland-director "Interview: Josh Fox."]}} 2010-02-25. 2010-05-04.</ref> Fox gave editor Matthew Sanchez credit for coming up with the structure of the film and said they edited roughly 200 hours of footage down to approximately 100 minutes.<ref>IndieWire. [https://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance_10_gasland_director_josh_fox_on_being_his_own_crew/ “Sundance ’10: Gasland Director Josh Fox on Being a One Man Crew.”] 2010-01-22. 2010-04-24.</ref>
''Gasland'' was conceived, directed, primarily filmed and narrated by Fox. This is his first documentary and second film; his first was a narrative feature entitled ''Memorial Day''. The executive producers of ''Gasland'' are [[Debra Winger]] and Hunter Gray; producers are Trish Adlesic, Fox and Molly Gandour; co-produced by [[David Roma]]; cinematographers are Fox and Matthew Sanchez; editor is Matthew Sanchez; supervising sound editor is Brian Scibinico;<ref>{{cite web|publisher=imdb|title=Brian Scibinico|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1717240/|accessdate=2007-11-01}}</ref> animators are Juan Cardarelli and Alex Tyson; consultants are Morgan Jenness and Henry Chalfant and researchers are Molly Gandour, Barbara Arindell, Fox and Joe Levine.<ref>Sundance Film Festival. [http://sundance.bside.com/2010/films/gasland_sundance2010 “Artists Interview at Sundance and About the Film.”] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329114950/http://sundance.bside.com/2010/films/gasland_sundance2010 |date=2010-03-29 }} 2010-04-24.</ref>


[[Debra Winger]] is credited as a "creative consultant" on the film.
⚫
The documentary was made in about eighteen months. Fox began the project as a one-man crew, but was joined by three other cameras at different points.<ref>MakingOf. [http://makingof.com/posts/watch/1335/-gasland-director "Interview: Josh Fox."] 2010-02-25. 2010-05-04.</ref> Matthew Sanchez is credited with the structure of the film and together with Fox edited roughly 200 hours of footage to about 100 minutes.<ref>IndieWire. [http://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance_10_gasland_director_josh_fox_on_being_his_own_crew/ “Sundance ’10: Gasland Director Josh Fox on Being a One Man Crew.”] 2010-01-22. 2010-04-24.</ref>


==Reception==
==Reception==

===Positive===
===Positive===
⚫
Robert Koehler of [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']] referred to it as "one of the most effective and expressive environmental films of recent years… ''Gasland'' may become to the dangers of natural gas drilling what ''[[Silent Spring]]'' was to [[DDT]]."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941971.html|title=''Gasland'' Movie Review from the Sundance Film Festival|last=Koehler|first=Robert|date=2010-01-25|newspaper=Variety|accessdate=2010-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428022914/http://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/gasland-1117941971/|archive-date=April 28, 2018|dead-url=Yes}}</ref>


On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 98% based on 41 reviews, with an average score of 7/10; the website's "critics consensus" reads: "''GasLand'' patiently and powerfully outlines alarming problems with modern fuel extraction -- and the horrific public health risks that go along with them."<ref>{{cite web|title=Gasland (2010)|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gasland/}}</ref>
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Eric Kohn of ''[[IndieWire]]'' wrote, "''Gasland'' is the paragon of first person activist filmmaking done right… By grounding a massive environmental issue in its personal ramifications, Fox turns ''Gasland'' into a remarkably urgent diary of national concerns."<ref>{{cite news |title=The Toxic Avenger: Josh Fox's 'GasLand{{'-}} |first=Eric |last=Kohn |newspaper=indieWIRE |date=2010-01-30 |url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/the_toxic_avenger_josh_foxs_gasland/ |accessdate=2010-04-24 }}</ref>

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Robert Koehler of [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']] referred to the film as "one of the most effective and expressive environmental films of recent years", saying it "may become to the dangers of natural gas drilling what ''[[Silent Spring]]'' was to [[DDT]]."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941971.html|title=''Gasland'' Movie Review from the Sundance Film Festival|last=Koehler|first=Robert|date=2010-01-25|newspaper=Variety|access-date=2010-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428022914/http://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/gasland-1117941971/|archive-date=April 28, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

⚫
Eric Kohn of ''[[IndieWire]]'' wrote: "''Gasland'' is the paragon of first person activist filmmaking done right. […] By grounding a massive environmental issue in its personal ramifications, Fox turns ''Gasland'' into a remarkably urgent diary of national concerns."<ref>{{cite news |title=The Toxic Avenger: Josh Fox's 'GasLand{{'-}} |first=Eric |last=Kohn |newspaper=indieWIRE |date=2010-01-30 |url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/the_toxic_avenger_josh_foxs_gasland/ |access-date=2010-04-24 }}</ref>


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A review in the ''[[Denton Record Chronicle]]'' said that "Fox decides that his own backyard in Pennsylvania isn’t his exclusive property. […] Set to his own banjo music and clever footage, ''Gasland'' is both sad and scary." The review concluded with the statement: "if your soul isn’t moved by the documentary, yours is a heart of shale."<ref>{{cite news |title={{-'}}GasLand' Worthy of Sundance Accolades |first=Lucinda |last=Breeding |newspaper=Denton Record-Chronicle |date=2010-02-18 |url=http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/entertainment/stories/DRC_ThinLine-Gas_0218.12b0b4621.html |access-date=2010-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112120151/http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/entertainment/stories/DRC_ThinLine-Gas_0218.12b0b4621.html |archive-date=2012-01-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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Stewart Nusbaumer of the ''[[Huffington Post]]'' wrote "''Gasland''... just might take you from outrage right into the fire of action."<ref>{{cite news |title=Big Sky Doc Film Fest: ''Gasland'' Fuel for Justice |first=Stewart |last=Nusbaumer |newspaper=The Huffington Post |date=2010-02-18 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-nusbaumer/big-sky-doc-film-fest-emg_b_467605.html |accessdate=2010-04-24 }}</ref>


⚫
Stewart Nusbaumer of the ''[[Huffington Post]]'' said the film "just might take you from outrage right into the fire of action."<ref>{{cite news |title=Big Sky Doc Film Fest: ''Gasland'' Fuel for Justice |first=Stewart |last=Nusbaumer |newspaper=The Huffington Post |date=2010-02-18 |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-nusbaumer/big-sky-doc-film-fest-emg_b_467605.html |access-date=2010-04-24 }}</ref>
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{{as of|2010}} ''Gasland'' holds a 97% rating on the film site Rotten Tomatoes based on 37 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gasland (2010)|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gasland/}}</ref> [[Mark Kermode]] of [[BBC Radio 5 Live]] gave it a generally positive review, criticizing its similarity to other recent oil documentaries, yet praising its "extraordinary visual kick". He said "it is a very interesting story which is made better by the fact that the visuals of it are very poetic, very lyrical", and felt that its themes and ideas were relevant and well presented.


⚫
''[[Bloomberg News]]'' critic Dave Shiflett wrote that Fox "may go down in history as the [[Paul Revere]] of [[fracking]]."<ref>{{cite news |title=Cook a Hamburger, Blow Up Your Polluted Town |first=Dave |last=Shiflett |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=2010-06-21 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-21/cook-a-hamburger-and-blow-up-your-polluted-fracking-town-tv.html }}</ref>
⚫
The ''[[Denton Record Chronicle]]'' said "Fox decides that his own backyard in Pennsylvania isn’t his exclusive property... Set to his own banjo music and clever footage, ''Gasland'' is both sad and scary... if your soul isn’t moved by the documentary, yours is a heart of shale."<ref>{{cite news |title={{-'}}GasLand' Worthy of Sundance Accolades |first=Lucinda |last=Breeding |newspaper=Denton Record-Chronicle |date=2010-02-18 |url=http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/entertainment/stories/DRC_ThinLine-Gas_0218.12b0b4621.html |accessdate=2010-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112120151/http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/entertainment/stories/DRC_ThinLine-Gas_0218.12b0b4621.html |archive-date=2012-01-12 |dead-url=yes |df= }}</ref>


Chicago ''[[Time Out (company)|TimeOut]]'' gave ''Gasland'' four out of five stars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/film/90743/gasland-film-review|title=Gasland - Film - Time Out Chicago|last=Kenigsberg|first=Ben|date=2010-11-24|publisher=Chicago.timeout.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206223805/http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/film/90743/gasland-film-review|archive-date=December 6, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=2011-07-13}}</ref>
⚫
''Bloomberg News'' critic Dave Shiflett wrote that Fox "may go down in history as the [[Paul Revere]] of [[fracking]]."<ref>{{cite news |title=Cook a Hamburger, Blow Up Your Polluted Town |first=Dave |last=Shiflett |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=2010-06-21 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-21/cook-a-hamburger-and-blow-up-your-polluted-fracking-town-tv.html }}</ref>


Chicago ''[[Time Out (company)|TimeOut]]'' gave ''Gasland'' four out of five stars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/film/90743/gasland-film-review|title=Gasland - Film - Time Out Chicago|last=Kenigsberg|first=Ben|date=2010-11-24|website=|publisher=Chicago.timeout.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206223805/http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/film/90743/gasland-film-review|archive-date=December 6, 2010|dead-url=Yes|accessdate=2011-07-13}}</ref>
In Australia, film critic Julie Riggs called the documentary a "horror movie, and a wake-up call."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/movietime/stories/2010/3069918.htm |title=Movietime - 19 November 2010 - Gasland |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=2010-11-19 |access-date=2011-07-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/australiatalks/stories/2010/3085718.htm|title=RN Australia Talks - 8 December 2010 - Australia Talks Movies: Gasland|date=December 8, 2010|publisher=Abc.net.au|access-date=2011-07-13}}</ref>


⚫
[[Mark Kermode]] of [[BBC Radio 5 Live]] gave the film a generally positive review, criticizing its similarity to other recent oil documentaries, yet praising its "extraordinary visual kick". He said "it is a very interesting story which is made better by the fact that the visuals of it are very poetic, very lyrical", and felt that its themes and ideas were relevant and well presented.
In Australia, film critic Julie Riggs called the documentary a "horror movie, and a wake-up call."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/movietime/stories/2010/3069918.htm |title=Movietime - 19 November 2010 - Gasland |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=2010-11-19 |accessdate=2011-07-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/australiatalks/stories/2010/3085718.htm|title=RN Australia Talks - 8 December 2010 - Australia Talks Movies: Gasland|last=|first=|date=December 8, 2010|website=|publisher=Abc.net.au|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|accessdate=2011-07-13}}</ref>


''Fort Worth Business Press'' writer John-Laurent Tronche talks about the growing number of documentaries "that aim to shed a light on what they call a dirty, destructive practice: shale gas exploration. And although oil and gas supporters have labeled the motion pictures as radical propaganda, a local drilling activist said they’re part of a larger, critical look into an ever-growing industry."<ref>{{cite news |title=Drilling Documentaries Abound as Shale Gas Goes Nationwide |first=John-Laurent |last=Tronche |newspaper=Fort Worth Business Press |date=2010-04-12 |url=http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/main.asp?ArticleID=12434&SectionID=45 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711062521/http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/main.asp?ArticleID=12434&SectionID=45 |dead-url=yes |archive-date=2011-07-11 |accessdate=2010-12-07 }}</ref>
''Fort Worth Business Press'' writer John-Laurent Tronche talked about the growing number of documentaries "that aim to shed a light on what they call a dirty, destructive practice: shale gas exploration. And although oil and gas supporters have labeled the motion pictures as radical propaganda, a local drilling activist said they’re part of a larger, critical look into an ever-growing industry."<ref>{{cite news |title=Drilling Documentaries Abound as Shale Gas Goes Nationwide |first=John-Laurent |last=Tronche |newspaper=Fort Worth Business Press |date=2010-04-12 |url=http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/main.asp?ArticleID=12434&SectionID=45 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711062521/http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/main.asp?ArticleID=12434&SectionID=45 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-07-11 |access-date=2010-12-07 }}</ref>


===Negative===
===Negative===
Energy in Depth (EiD), launched by the [[Independent Petroleum Association of America]],<ref>{{cite news| title=Film challenges safety of U.S. shale gas drilling |first=Edith |last=Honan |publisher=Reuters |date=2010-06-17 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65G2OC20100617 |accessdate=2010-06-28}}</ref> has created a web page with a list of factual inaccuracies in the documentary,<ref>{{cite news |title=Debunking GasLand |author=Energy in Depth |date=June 9, 2010 |url=http://www.energyindepth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Debunking-Gasland.pdf |accessdate=December 17, 2011}}</ref> and produced an associated film titled [[TruthLand]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.truthlandmovie.com/ |title=A project of IPAA and Energy In Depth |publisher=TruthLand Movie |date= |accessdate=2013-03-09}}</ref> In response to the EID's criticisms of the film, the makers of ''Gasland'' offered a rebuttal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://1trickpony.cachefly.net/gas/pdf/Affirming_Gasland_Sept_2010.pdf|title=Affirming Gasland}}</ref>
Energy in Depth (EiD), launched by the [[Independent Petroleum Association of America]],<ref>{{cite news| title=Film challenges safety of U.S. shale gas drilling |first=Edith |last=Honan |publisher=Reuters |date=2010-06-17 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65G2OC20100617 |access-date=2010-06-28}}</ref> created a web page with a list of factual inaccuracies in the documentary,<ref>{{cite news |title=Debunking GasLand |author=Energy in Depth |date=June 9, 2010 |url=http://www.energyindepth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Debunking-Gasland.pdf |access-date=December 17, 2011}}</ref> and produced an associated film titled ''TruthLand''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.truthlandmovie.com/ |title=A project of IPAA and Energy In Depth |publisher=TruthLand Movie |access-date=2013-03-09}}</ref> In response to the EID's criticisms of the film, the makers of ''Gasland'' offered a rebuttal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://1trickpony.cachefly.net/gas/pdf/Affirming_Gasland_Sept_2010.pdf|title=Affirming Gasland|access-date=2013-06-29|archive-date=2014-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929183841/http://1trickpony.cachefly.net/gas/pdf/Affirming_Gasland_Sept_2010.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>


In an article for [[Forbes (magazine)|''Forbes'' magazine]], Dr. Michael Economides, a professor of engineering at the University of Houston and former consultant for energy companies including Chevron, Shell, and Petrobras,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.energytribune.com/79843/michael-economides-international-energy-expert-dead-at-64#sthash.5lyER7ev.dpuf|title=Michael Economides, International Energy Expert, Dead at 64 Energy Tribune|publisher=}}</ref> commented on the ''Gasland'' scene of "a man lighting his faucet water on fire and making the ridiculous claim that natural gas drilling is responsible for the incident. The clip, though attention-getting, is wildly inaccurate and irresponsible. To begin with, the vertical depth separation between drinking water aquifers and reservoir targets for gas production is several thousand feet of impermeable rock. Any interchange between the two, if it were possible, would have happened already in geologic time, measured in tens of millions of years, not in recent history."<ref>{{cite news |title=Slurring Natural Gas with Flaming Faucets and Other Propaganda |first=Michael |last=Economides |newspaper=Forbes |date=2010-04-22 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2011/03/07/dont-be-swayed-by-faucets-on-fire-and-other-anti-fracking-propaganda/ }}</ref>
In an article for [[Forbes (magazine)|''Forbes'' magazine]], Dr. Michael Economides, a professor of engineering at the [[University of Houston]] and former consultant for energy companies including [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]], [[Shell plc|Shell]], and [[Petrobras]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.energytribune.com/79843/michael-economides-international-energy-expert-dead-at-64#sthash.5lyER7ev.dpuf|title=Michael Economides, International Energy Expert, Dead at 64 Energy Tribune}}</ref> commented on the "scene from the upcoming documentary ''Gasland'', which features a man lighting his faucet water on fire and making the ridiculous claim that natural gas drilling is responsible for the incident. The clip, though attention-getting, is wildly inaccurate and irresponsible. To begin with, the vertical depth separation between drinking water aquifers and reservoir targets for gas production is several thousand feet of impermeable rock. Any interchange between the two, if it were possible, would have happened already in geologic time, measured in tens of millions of years, not in recent history."<ref>{{cite news |title=Slurring Natural Gas with Flaming Faucets and Other Propaganda |first=Michael |last=Economides |newspaper=Forbes |date=2010-04-22 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2010/04/22/slurring-natural-gas-with-flaming-faucets-and-other-propaganda/ }}</ref> Subsequent academic studies have proven that the area in which the scene takes place (Weld, Colorado) hydraulic fracturing - particularly due to leaking/damaged bores - had contaminated groundwater.


In an article for [https://moviesonchatham.com/movies/propaganda/gasland-2010/ Movies on Chatham], Dr. Pam Hassebroek, formerly a petroleum reservoir engineer (Registered Professional Engineer) at Exxon Research and at Shell, points out the long history of oil seeps in surface areas. In Pennsylvania and New York, surface oil has been documented since at least as far back as the 18th century. Further, U.S. oil and gas production has benefited from the use of hydraulic fracturing since the 1940s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://moviesonchatham.com/2018/04/where-and-how-did-our-oil-and-gasland-begin-do-we-really-want-it-to-end/|title=Where and How Did Our Oil and Gasland Begin--Do We Really Want It to End Abruptly?|last=Hassebroek|first=Pam|date=April 2018|website=Movies on Chatham|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506140821/https://moviesonchatham.com/2018/04/where-and-how-did-our-oil-and-gasland-begin-do-we-really-want-to-end-it/|archive-date=2018-05-06|dead-url=yes|access-date=5 May 2018}}</ref>
In an article for [https://moviesonchatham.com/movies/propaganda/gasland-2010/ Movies on Chatham], Dr. Pam Hassebroek, a former petroleum reservoir engineer (Registered Professional Engineer) at both [[ExxonMobil|Exxon]] Research and Shell, pointed out the long history of oil seeps in surface areas, saying that, in Pennsylvania and New York, surface oil has been documented since at least as far back as the 18th century. She also mentioned that U.S. oil and gas production has benefited from the use of hydraulic fracturing since the 1940s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://moviesonchatham.com/2018/04/where-and-how-did-our-oil-and-gasland-begin-do-we-really-want-it-to-end/|title=Where and How Did Our Oil and Gasland Begin--Do We Really Want It to End Abruptly?|last=Hassebroek|first=Pam|date=April 2018|website=Movies on Chatham|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506140821/https://moviesonchatham.com/2018/04/where-and-how-did-our-oil-and-gasland-begin-do-we-really-want-to-end-it/|archive-date=2018-05-06|url-status=dead|access-date=5 May 2018}}</ref>


A documentary rebutting ''Gasland''<nowiki/>'s claims, ''[[FrackNation]]'', was successfully funded on [[Kickstarter]].
A documentary rebutting ''Gasland''<nowiki/>'s claims, ''[[FrackNation]]'', was successfully funded on [[Kickstarter]] and released in 2013.


===Awards===
===Awards===
'''Won'''
'''Won'''
* [[63rd Primetime Emmy Awards|2011 Primetime Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming (Josh Fox)
* [[63rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Awards]]: [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program|Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming]] ([[Josh Fox]])
* 2011 Cinema Eye Honor for Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or Animation (Alex Tyson, Juan Cardarelli, and Eric M. Levy)
* [[Cinema Eye Honors]]: Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or Animation (Juan Cardarelli, Eric M. Levy, Alex Tyson)
* 2010 Environmental Media Award for Best Documentary Feature
* [[Environmental Media Awards]]: Best Documentary (Josh Fox)
* [[26th Sundance Film Festival|2010 Sundance Film Festival]] Special Jury Prize
* [[2010 Sundance Film Festival|Sundance Film Festival]]: Special Jury Prize – Documentary (Josh Fox)
* 2010 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Artistic Vision award
* [[Big Sky Documentary Film Festival]]: Artistic Vision Award – Feature (Josh Fox)
* 2010 Thin Line Film Festival Audience Award
* Thin Line Film Festival: Audience Award
* 2010 Yale Environmental Film Festival Grand Jury Prize
* Yale Environmental Film Festival: Grand Jury Prize
* 2010 [[Sarasota Film Festival]] Special Jury Prize
* [[Sarasota Film Festival]]: Special Jury Prize – Documentary Feature (Josh Fox)


'''Nominated'''
'''Nominated'''
* 2011 [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]]
* [[83rd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]: [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature|Best Documentary Feature]] (Josh Fox, Trish Adlesic)
* 2011 Writer's Guild Award for Best Documentary Screenplay.
* [[63rd Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]: [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay|Best Documentary Screenplay]] (Josh Fox)
* [[63rd Primetime Emmy Awards|2011 Primetime Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming (Josh Fox)
* Primetime Emmy Awards: [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming|Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming]] (Josh Fox)
* [[63rd Primetime Emmy Awards|2011 Primetime Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming (Josh Fox)
* Primetime Emmy Awards: [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program|Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming]] (Josh Fox)
* [[63rd Primetime Emmy Awards|2011 Primetime Emmy Award]] for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Programming (Josh Fox)
* Primetime Emmy Awards: [[Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking|Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Programming]] (Trish Adlesic, Josh Fox, Molly Gandour)


==Sequel==
==Sequel==
⚫
A sequel to ''Gasland'' titled ''Gasland Part II'' premiered at the [[Tribeca Film Festival]] in New York City on April 21, 2013,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/new-anti-fracking-film-by-gaslands-josh-fox-targets-cuomo-governor-what-color-will-the-sky-be-over-new-york-20120620|title=New Anti-Fracking Film by Gasland's Josh Fox Targets Cuomo: 'Governor, What Color Will the Sky Be Over New York?' &#124; Jeff Goodell &#124; Politics News|author=Jeff Goodell|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607175259/http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/new-anti-fracking-film-by-gaslands-josh-fox-targets-cuomo-governor-what-color-will-the-sky-be-over-new-york-20120620|archive-date=June 7, 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=2013-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=05/15/2012 3:56 pm |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/josh-fox-gasland-filmmaker-activist_n_1518561.html |title=Josh Fox, 'Gasland' Filmmaker And Activist, Working On Documentary Sequel |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=2012-05-15 |access-date=2013-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/josh-fox-arrested-on-capitol-hill-while-filming-gasland-sequel |title=Josh Fox Arrested on Capitol Hill While Filming 'Gasland' Sequel &#124; Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews |publisher=Indiewire |date=2012-02-01 |access-date=2013-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/513a8415c07f5d47130004d0-gasland-part-ii |title=Gasland Part II |publisher=Tribeca Enterprises LLC |access-date=2013-04-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419105938/http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/513a8415c07f5d47130004d0-gasland-part-ii |archive-date=2013-04-19 }}</ref> and was broadcast on [[HBO]] on July 8. It won Best Documentary at both the [[Environmental Media Awards]] and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, and was given the "Hell Yeah Prize" at the [[Cinema Eye Honors]].


''[[How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change]]'', the third part of the Gasland trilogy, premiered at the [[2016 Sundance Film Festival]], toured the world theatrically, and was broadcast on HBO in June. Like ''Gasland'' and ''Gasland Part II'', it also won Best Documentary at the [[Environmental Media Awards]].
⚫
A sequel to Gasland titled ''Gasland Part II'' premiered at the [[Tribeca Film Festival]] in New York City on April 21, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/new-anti-fracking-film-by-gaslands-josh-fox-targets-cuomo-governor-what-color-will-the-sky-be-over-new-york-20120620|title=New Anti-Fracking Film by Gasland's Josh Fox Targets Cuomo: 'Governor, What Color Will the Sky Be Over New York?' &#124; Jeff Goodell &#124; Politics News|author=Jeff Goodell|first=|date=|website=|publisher=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607175259/http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/new-anti-fracking-film-by-gaslands-josh-fox-targets-cuomo-governor-what-color-will-the-sky-be-over-new-york-20120620|archive-date=June 7, 2017|dead-url=Yes|accessdate=2013-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=05/15/2012 3:56 pm |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/josh-fox-gasland-filmmaker-activist_n_1518561.html |title=Josh Fox, 'Gasland' Filmmaker And Activist, Working On Documentary Sequel |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=2012-05-15 |accessdate=2013-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/josh-fox-arrested-on-capitol-hill-while-filming-gasland-sequel |title=Josh Fox Arrested on Capitol Hill While Filming 'Gasland' Sequel &#124; Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews |publisher=Indiewire |date=2012-02-01 |accessdate=2013-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/513a8415c07f5d47130004d0-gasland-part-ii |title=Gasland Part II |publisher=Tribeca Enterprises LLC |accessdate=2013-04-10 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419105938/http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/513a8415c07f5d47130004d0-gasland-part-ii |archivedate=2013-04-19 |df= }}</ref> A group of farmers, who were featured in ''[[FrackNation]]'', were barred from attending the premier; the Festival stated that the group had not arrived in time and that the screening was full.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/04/23/fracknation-filmmaker-claims-group-farmers-was-barred-from-gasland-part-ii/|title='FrackNation' filmmaker claims group of farmers was barred from 'Gasland Part II' screening at Tribeca|date=23 April 2013|publisher=Fox News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fr8jJOqFBs |title=Tribeca Film Festival lies about shutting out farmers |publisher=FrackNation|date= April 22, 2013|accessdate=2013-05-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/tribeca-film-festival-turns-away-protesters-who-had-tickets-to-gasland-sequel/ |title=Tribeca Film Festival Turns Away Protesters Who Had Tickets to ‘Gasland’ Sequel |publisher=New York Times|date= April 22, 2013|accessdate=2013-05-16|first=Dave|last=Itzkoff}}</ref>
This new film won the award of Best Environmental Film at the 2014 [[Byron Bay International Film Festival]].


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Anti-fracking movement]]
* [[Anti-fracking movement]]
* ''[[Frackman]]''
* ''[[Frackman]]''
*[[Josh Fox]]


==References==
==References==
Line 103: Line 106:


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/}}
* {{Official website|http://one.gaslandmovie.com/home}}
* {{IMDb title|1558250}}
* {{IMDb title|1558250}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|gasland|Gasland}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|gasland|Gasland}}
* [http://cogcc.state.co.us/Announcements/McClureMarkhamEllsworthCorrespondence.pdf Reports and laboratory analyses issued by the COGCC] in response to Markham, McClure and Ellsworth complaints.
* [http://cogcc.state.co.us/Announcements/McClureMarkhamEllsworthCorrespondence.pdf Reports and laboratory analyses issued by the COGCC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110922114529/http://cogcc.state.co.us/Announcements/McClureMarkhamEllsworthCorrespondence.pdf |date=2011-09-22 }} in response to Markham, McClure and Ellsworth complaints.


[[Category:2010 films]]
[[Category:2010 films]]
[[Category:2010s documentary films]]
[[Category:2010 documentary films]]
[[Category:American documentary films]]
[[Category:American documentary films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award–winning broadcasts]]
[[Category:Documentary films about hydraulic fracturing]]
[[Category:Documentary films about hydraulic fracturing]]
⚫
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Environment of the United States]]
[[Category:Environment of the United States]]
[[Category:Films set in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Films set in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Anti-fracking movement]]
[[Category:Anti-fracking movement]]
[[Category:Energy in Wyoming]]
[[Category:Energy in Wyoming]]
⚫
[[Category:2010s English-language films]]
[[Category:2010s American films]]
[[Category:Hydraulic fracturing in the United States]]
[[Category:English-language documentary films]]

Latest revision as of 13:30, 2 November 2024

For the Norwegian politician and psychiatrist, see Anders Gåsland. For the Canadian real estate company and former fuel retailer, see Cal Nichols.
Gasland
Directed byJosh Fox
Written byJosh Fox
Produced byTrish Adlesic
Josh Fox
Molly Gandour
Narrated byJosh Fox
CinematographyJosh Fox
Edited byMatthew Sanchez
Production
company
International WOW Company
Distributed byHBO
Release date
  • January 24, 2010 (2010-01-24) (Sundance)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Gasland is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Josh Fox. It focuses on communities in the United States where natural gas drilling activity was a concern and, specifically, on hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), a method of stimulating production in otherwise impermeable rock. The film was a key mobilizer for the anti-fracking movement,[1] and "brought the term 'hydraulic fracturing' into the nation's living rooms" according to The New York Times.[2]

Fracking is a technique that has been used routinely since the late 1940s as an aid to stimulating production in oil and gas wells.[3] Horizontal drilling, a recent innovation in drilling techniques, can create horizontal pathways deep within the Earth, and has successfully incorporated hydraulic fracturing to release fluids from shale formations. Horizontal drilling coupled with fracking has transformed the energy business, enabled vast new supplies of natural gas, and advanced the goal of United States energy independence.

The film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Documentary. In June 2010, it premiered on HBO to an audience of 3 million homes, and it was seen by over 250,000 audience members during a 250-city grassroots tour. Among its numerous nominations and awards, the film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 83rd Academy Awards[2][4] and won Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards.

Synopsis

[edit]
John Fenton, a farmer and rancher from Pavillion, Wyoming, became an internationally recognized anti-hydraulic fracturing activist following his appearance in Gasland. He is pictured here at a public event in Sheridan, Wyoming, on September 15, 2012. [5]

Josh Fox describes his receipt of a letter in May 2008 from a gas company, offering a signing bonus of nearly $100,000 to lease his family's land in Milanville, Pennsylvania, to drill for natural gas,[6] after which he sets out to see how communities across the nation are being affected by the natural gas drilling boom. Beginning in nearby Dimock before driving to locations as far away as Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas, where the boom began a decade earlier, he spends time with citizens in their homes and on their land and hears stories about how hydraulic fracturing has contaminated their air, water wells, and surface water with methane and toxic chemicals, leading to a variety of chronic health problems and, sometimes, tap water that can be lit on fire. Although some residents have obtained court injunctions or settlement money from gas companies to replace the affected water supplies with potable water or water purification kits, the companies continue to insist that fracking has never been proven to be the cause of any contamination.[7] Fox is particularly troubled by what he learns because there are plans to begin drilling for natural gas in the portion of the Marcellus Shale formation that overlaps with the New York City Watershed and the Delaware River Basin, which together provide unfiltered drinking water to 15.6 million people in New York City, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Scientists, government employees, and politicians describe how the Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempted hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act,[8] making the practice essentially unregulated, and, in the end, Fox finds himself in the halls of Congress as a subcommittee discusses the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, "a bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal a certain exemption for hydraulic fracturing"[9] (the proposal never made it past the committee stage).

Production

[edit]
Josh Fox plays his banjo at a jam session following an environmental meeting at which he was the featured speaker in Sheridan, Wyoming, on November 5, 2011.

Gasland was Fox's first documentary and second film, following Memorial Day, a narrative feature from 2008. He made the film over the course of about eighteen months and often worked as a one-man crew while filming, though later in the process he sometimes employed additional camera operators.[10] Fox gave editor Matthew Sanchez credit for coming up with the structure of the film and said they edited roughly 200 hours of footage down to approximately 100 minutes.[11]

Debra Winger is credited as a "creative consultant" on the film.

Reception

[edit]

Positive

[edit]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 98% based on 41 reviews, with an average score of 7/10; the website's "critics consensus" reads: "GasLand patiently and powerfully outlines alarming problems with modern fuel extraction -- and the horrific public health risks that go along with them."[12]

Robert Koehler of Variety referred to the film as "one of the most effective and expressive environmental films of recent years", saying it "may become to the dangers of natural gas drilling what Silent Spring was to DDT."[13]

Eric Kohn of IndieWire wrote: "Gasland is the paragon of first person activist filmmaking done right. […] By grounding a massive environmental issue in its personal ramifications, Fox turns Gasland into a remarkably urgent diary of national concerns."[14]

A review in the Denton Record Chronicle said that "Fox decides that his own backyard in Pennsylvania isn’t his exclusive property. […] Set to his own banjo music and clever footage, Gasland is both sad and scary." The review concluded with the statement: "if your soul isn’t moved by the documentary, yours is a heart of shale."[15]

Stewart Nusbaumer of the Huffington Post said the film "just might take you from outrage right into the fire of action."[16]

Bloomberg News critic Dave Shiflett wrote that Fox "may go down in history as the Paul Revere of fracking."[17]

Chicago TimeOut gave Gasland four out of five stars.[18]

In Australia, film critic Julie Riggs called the documentary a "horror movie, and a wake-up call."[19][20]

Mark Kermode of BBC Radio 5 Live gave the film a generally positive review, criticizing its similarity to other recent oil documentaries, yet praising its "extraordinary visual kick". He said "it is a very interesting story which is made better by the fact that the visuals of it are very poetic, very lyrical", and felt that its themes and ideas were relevant and well presented.

Fort Worth Business Press writer John-Laurent Tronche talked about the growing number of documentaries "that aim to shed a light on what they call a dirty, destructive practice: shale gas exploration. And although oil and gas supporters have labeled the motion pictures as radical propaganda, a local drilling activist said they’re part of a larger, critical look into an ever-growing industry."[21]

Negative

[edit]

Energy in Depth (EiD), launched by the Independent Petroleum Association of America,[22] created a web page with a list of factual inaccuracies in the documentary,[23] and produced an associated film titled TruthLand.[24] In response to the EID's criticisms of the film, the makers of Gasland offered a rebuttal.[25]

In an article for Forbes magazine, Dr. Michael Economides, a professor of engineering at the University of Houston and former consultant for energy companies including Chevron, Shell, and Petrobras,[26] commented on the "scene from the upcoming documentary Gasland, which features a man lighting his faucet water on fire and making the ridiculous claim that natural gas drilling is responsible for the incident. The clip, though attention-getting, is wildly inaccurate and irresponsible. To begin with, the vertical depth separation between drinking water aquifers and reservoir targets for gas production is several thousand feet of impermeable rock. Any interchange between the two, if it were possible, would have happened already in geologic time, measured in tens of millions of years, not in recent history."[27] Subsequent academic studies have proven that the area in which the scene takes place (Weld, Colorado) hydraulic fracturing - particularly due to leaking/damaged bores - had contaminated groundwater.

In an article for Movies on Chatham, Dr. Pam Hassebroek, a former petroleum reservoir engineer (Registered Professional Engineer) at both Exxon Research and Shell, pointed out the long history of oil seeps in surface areas, saying that, in Pennsylvania and New York, surface oil has been documented since at least as far back as the 18th century. She also mentioned that U.S. oil and gas production has benefited from the use of hydraulic fracturing since the 1940s.[28]

A documentary rebutting Gasland's claims, FrackNation, was successfully funded on Kickstarter and released in 2013.

Awards

[edit]

Won

Nominated

Sequel

[edit]

A sequel to Gasland titled Gasland Part II premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 21, 2013,[29][30][31][32] and was broadcast on HBO on July 8. It won Best Documentary at both the Environmental Media Awards and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, and was given the "Hell Yeah Prize" at the Cinema Eye Honors.

How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change, the third part of the Gasland trilogy, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, toured the world theatrically, and was broadcast on HBO in June. Like Gasland and Gasland Part II, it also won Best Documentary at the Environmental Media Awards.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Vasi, Ion Bogdan; Walker, Edward T.; Johnson, John S.; Tan, Hui Fen (2015-10-01). ""No Fracking Way!" Documentary Film, Discursive Opportunity, and Local Opposition against Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States, 2010 to 2013". American Sociological Review. 80 (5): 934–959. doi:10.1177/0003122415598534. ISSN 0003-1224. S2CID 146633724.
  2. ^ a b Mike SORAGHAN (February 24, 2011), "Groundtruthing Academy Award Nominee 'Gasland'", The New York Times
  3. ^ Hassebroek, W.E.; Waters, A.B. (1964-07-01). "Advancements Through 15 Years of Fracturing". Journal of Petroleum Technology. 16 (7): 760–764. doi:10.2118/801-PA. ISSN 0149-2136.
  4. ^ "Sparks Fly Over 'Gasland' Drilling Documentary", Talk of the Nation, NPR, February 24, 2011
  5. ^ [1] Illawarra Mercury Website (Australia). Fenton, John. (2014, February 28). CSG industry’s solution: bury proof. (Retrieved 2014-03-18.)
  6. ^ Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) film page on Gasland Archived 2011-05-06 at the Wayback Machine. 2010-11-19
  7. ^ Quoted from the Gasland documentary itself, at about minutes 35-40.
  8. ^ Energy Policy Act of 2005. Pub. L. 109-58, TITLE III, Subtitle C, SEC. 322. Hydraulic fracturing. 2011-02-06
  9. ^ 111th United States Congress. "S. 1215: Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act." 2010-04-27
  10. ^ MakingOf. "Interview: Josh Fox."[usurped] 2010-02-25. 2010-05-04.
  11. ^ IndieWire. “Sundance ’10: Gasland Director Josh Fox on Being a One Man Crew.” 2010-01-22. 2010-04-24.
  12. ^ "Gasland (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  13. ^ Koehler, Robert (2010-01-25). "Gasland Movie Review from the Sundance Film Festival". Variety. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  14. ^ Kohn, Eric (2010-01-30). "The Toxic Avenger: Josh Fox's 'GasLand'". indieWIRE. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  15. ^ Breeding, Lucinda (2010-02-18). "'GasLand' Worthy of Sundance Accolades". Denton Record-Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  16. ^ Nusbaumer, Stewart (2010-02-18). "Big Sky Doc Film Fest: Gasland Fuel for Justice". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  17. ^ Shiflett, Dave (2010-06-21). "Cook a Hamburger, Blow Up Your Polluted Town". Bloomberg.
  18. ^ Kenigsberg, Ben (2010-11-24). "Gasland - Film - Time Out Chicago". Chicago.timeout.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  19. ^ "Movietime - 19 November 2010 - Gasland". Abc.net.au. 2010-11-19. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  20. ^ "RN Australia Talks - 8 December 2010 - Australia Talks Movies: Gasland". Abc.net.au. December 8, 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  21. ^ Tronche, John-Laurent (2010-04-12). "Drilling Documentaries Abound as Shale Gas Goes Nationwide". Fort Worth Business Press. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
  22. ^ Honan, Edith (2010-06-17). "Film challenges safety of U.S. shale gas drilling". Reuters. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  23. ^ Energy in Depth (June 9, 2010). "Debunking GasLand" (PDF). Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  24. ^ "A project of IPAA and Energy In Depth". TruthLand Movie. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  25. ^ "Affirming Gasland" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-29. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  26. ^ "Michael Economides, International Energy Expert, Dead at 64 Energy Tribune".
  27. ^ Economides, Michael (2010-04-22). "Slurring Natural Gas with Flaming Faucets and Other Propaganda". Forbes.
  28. ^ Hassebroek, Pam (April 2018). "Where and How Did Our Oil and Gasland Begin--Do We Really Want It to End Abruptly?". Movies on Chatham. Archived from the original on 2018-05-06. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  29. ^ Jeff Goodell. "New Anti-Fracking Film by Gasland's Josh Fox Targets Cuomo: 'Governor, What Color Will the Sky Be Over New York?' | Jeff Goodell | Politics News". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  30. ^ 05/15/2012 3:56 pm (2012-05-15). "Josh Fox, 'Gasland' Filmmaker And Activist, Working On Documentary Sequel". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-03-09.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ "Josh Fox Arrested on Capitol Hill While Filming 'Gasland' Sequel | Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews". Indiewire. 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  32. ^ "Gasland Part II". Tribeca Enterprises LLC. Archived from the original on 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
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