FrackNation
FrackNation | |
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Directed by | Magnet Releasing |
Countries | United States United Kingdom Poland |
Language | English |
FrackNation is a feature documentary created by
FrackNation looks at the process of fracking for natural gas and seeks to address the concerns surrounding the process that were highlighted in the fracking-critical film Gasland.
Inspiration
FrackNation was inspired when documentary filmmaker
After a video of the questioning[3] was made public on various websites, Fox and his lawyers got the video removed from YouTube and Vimeo. However, FrackNation's filmmakers managed to fight the removal and restore access to the video despite claims of infringing on HBO's copyrights.[citation needed]
McAleer told Politico he was motivated to make the film by what he saw as the "one-sided approach taken by the media, 'outsiders' and 'urban elites'" on the fracking process. McAleer said there has been no real debate on the issue, with the environmental lobby relying on emotion and scare tactics to condemn fracking.[4]
In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette McAleer stressed the film is trying to show both sides of the fracking discussion. "We're definitely covering the contamination" in the film, McAleer said. "We feature both sides."[5]
Reception
There were positive reviewers that regarded the film as well researched. Jeannette Catsoulis, a film reviewer for the
Some positive reviews claimed that the film was able to successfully refute not only the factual claims of Gasland but also some of the emotional testimonies. Christopher Campbell, from Movies.com, said the documentary was "surprisingly engaging" and that the most interesting case against Gasland that was brought up was the easy acceptance by journalists of the film as fact, implying journalists have ignored their responsibilities of fact-checking all documentaries.[9] The review noted that because the film did not accept money from the energy industry it gave the film more credibility, though some of the donors were some of the farmers who were featured in the film.
There were negative reviews of the film. Miriam Bale of the
Funding
A public crowdfunding campaign was launched on Kickstarter on Feb. 6, 2012. FrackNation was featured as the most popular project in Kickstarter's film section. It reached the fundraising target of $150,000 within three weeks of launching.[12]
The filmmakers offered an executive producer credit to anyone who supports the project. FrackNation has 3,305 executive producers.[13] The average individual pledge to the film was $60.
McAleer and McElhinney claimed to have returned all funds raised from companies or senior executives in the gas industry, according to Valerie Richardson of the Colorado Observer.[14][15]
However, the independence of special interests in the film's funding has been questioned. Erich Schwartzel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that, "The filmmakers want to avoid their work being labeled as pro-industry propaganda, but support for the project has been strongest among those who want to see just that. The team's Kickstarter campaign... has been promoted by pro-industry lobbying groups Energy in Depth and the Marcellus Shale Coalition." [16]
Release status
Theatrical
FrackNation had a theatrical premiere in New York on January 7 and in Los Angeles on January 11, 2013.
Television
On December 17, 2012 Mark Cuban's AXS.tv announced that they had acquired the television rights to FrackNation, and the documentary had its television premiere on January 22, 2013 at 9 p.m. EDT.[needs update] AXS.tv timed the debut to coincide with the theatrical release of Promised Land, Matt Damon and John Krasinski's feature film about how the fracking debate affects a rural town.[17]
Cuban says he welcomes the controversy and discussion, and the release of FrackNation should only fuel the fracking debate. “Of course the timing is relevant,” Cuban told The Hollywood Reporter. “We want people talking and using #AXSTV when they watch and discuss it.” [17]
International Monetary Fund
Phelim McAleer accused the
United States Congressional Committee
The movie was shown to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Environment in February 2013.[20]
European Parliament
On February 10, 2014 the movie was shown in the European Parliament. This was the Europe-wide premiere with attendance of the movie director Phelim McAleer organized by YoungPetro a Petroleum Magazine.[21]
See also
References
- LA Times. Archived from the originalon 2012-02-10. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- GasLandmovie at 0:11:30, interview with Ron and Jean Carter
- YouTube
- ^ Politico, New film in defense of fracking, Feb. 2, 2012
- ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Industry gets cast in 'FrackNation,' the latest documentary on the drilling debate, March 4, 2012
- ^ New York Times, A Flip Side to the Attack on Fracking, January 10, 2013
- ^ a b Variety, Review: “FrackNation”, January 10, 2013
- ^ National Review, Fracknation: An Elegant Antidote to Media Misinformation, Jan. 7, 2013
- ^ Movies.com, 'FrackNation' vs. 'Gasland' - A Tale of Two Propaganda Documentaries, Jan. 9, 2013
- ^ "New York Daily News", Review:"FrackNation", Jan. 10, 2013
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Review: 'FrackNation' takes on an anti-fracking documentary, January 10, 2013
- ^ Kickstarter, FrackNation Funding
- ^ Olean Times Herald, First 'Gasland', now comes 'FrackNation', March 9, 2012
- ^ Sacramento Bee, Controversial "Pro-Fracking" Documentary Reaches Primary Fundraising Goal in Record Time on Crowdfunding Website, Feb. 8, 2012 [dead link] [dead link]
- ^ Colorado Observer, March 6, 2012
- ^ Erich Schwartzel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 4, 2012
- ^ a b Hollywood Reporter, Mark Cuban's AXS TV Picks Up Pro-Fracking Documentary 'FrackNation', Dec. 17, 2012
- ^ a b Telegraph, Fracking film maker accuses IMF of censorship, March 21,2013
- ^ The Telegraph, Fracking film maker accuses IMF of censorship, March 21, 2013
- ^ Politico, Congress gets crack at ‘FrackNation’, Feb. 26, 2013
- ^ YoungPetro, YoungPetro is organizing Europe-wide FrackNation screenings
External links
- Official website
- FrackNation at Magnet Releasing
- FrackNation at IMDb
- FrackNation at Rotten Tomatoes
- APM Productions
- FrackNation on Facebook