The fate of our planet will be determined in Texas and the Gulf South.
Greenpeace USA’s feature-length documentary film, Gaslit, follows the journey of legendary actor and activist Jane Fonda from the vast oil fields of West Texas through diverse communities along the Gulf of Mexico, and to an area known as Cancer Alley. There she meets the individuals building a better future for everyone.
Thanks to the drilling and fracking boom that began over a decade ago, the U.S. has become the world’s largest liquefied “natural” gas exporter in the world. Between fueling the climate crisis, local pollution, and higher energy costs for ordinary families, the explosion in new gas exports is bad news for everyone except the gas companies. We must stop the onslaught of even more proposed export infrastructure to have a chance at limiting climate heating to as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius as possible.
But there is hope.
Gaslit is about people who have had their homes, lives, and livelihoods threatened or destroyed by the expansion of the oil, gas, and plastics industry. These shrimpers, cattle ranchers, former oil workers, community organizers, and self-described reluctant activists have come together to defend the communities, lands, and coastlines they love.
With activist and award-winning actress Jane Fonda as our guide, Gaslit tells the story of how true and lasting change happens, through collective action. The people she meets all have incredible stories, but they are winning real change because they are part of a movement.
A coalition of groups opposed to liquified natural gas expansion in the Gulf hosts a march and rally to call out the oil and gas conference being held at the New Orleans Convention Center. Ms. Deborah Ramirez leads the march through the streets to the convention center.
Impact Campaign
Gaslit is not just a film. It is a call to action.
Gaslit is part of a robust impact campaign drawing on Greenpeace’s talents as a globally present independent campaigning organization. At the time of release — planned for early 2025 — we will have the unique opportunity to mobilize audiences to support grassroots leaders in the Gulf resisting the gas boom and as part of a global movement seeking to stop fossil fuel expansion with Greenpeace’s global network.
About the Director
“Every progressive achievement in history was made possible by a group of people, not just one person or even a small group. However, Western cinema tends to simplify narratives and put “great individuals” up on pedestals. We partnered with Jane Fonda for GASLIT to show the many faces in a movement to protect communities from dangerous fossil fuel industry expansion. Each uses their own unique set of skills but is also united in a coalition. This is how big changes happen.”
Katie Camosy, Writer/Director/Producer
Katie Camosy is a film and video specialist who has worked in formats ranging from documentaries to narrative films to branded content and social media. After eight years of making short-form climate and environmental content for Greenpeace, she is directing her first feature documentary, Gaslit. Katie brings with her learnings from past jobs writing, shooting, producing, research, and editing content, along with frequent creative collaborators and mentors.
A pump jack and power line tower as the sun sets outside of Midland, Texas.
The Permian Basin is one of the oldest and most well-known hydrocarbon-producing areas. Since the first well drilled in the basin in July of 1920, over 30 billion barrels of crude have been recovered, with experts predicting there are at least 20 billion barrels remaining.
Commitment
As a member of the global Greenpeace network, Greenpeace USA values its partnerships with local, grassroots allies in the environmental justice movement. We commit to transparency, a spirit of collaboration that supports all groups involved in our project.
Greenpeace USA has fostered connections with local grassroots organizations like Healthy Gulf, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Build a Better Bayou, and Oilfield Witness, among others. We’ve also been actively collaborating with individuals in the documentary on how best to tell their stories, with many of them having helped us connect with the right interview subjects.
These local ties — along with the relationships Ms. Fonda has established through Greenpeace’s Fire Drill Fridays collaboration — uniquely positions Greenpeace USA, as part of the Greenpeace global network, to tell the stories of how actions taking place in the Gulf South and the Texas Permian Basin have an impact well beyond U.S. borders.
