On Saturday, October 30, the Bulger Communication Center at Buffalo State College will be hosting the Buffalo premier of GASLAND, a film by Josh Fox.
The film, which won the Special Jury Prize for Best U.S. Documentary Feature at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, chronicles journey of filmmaker Fox as he uncovers the truth behind the natural gas-drilling industry and the new hydraulic fracturing drilling technology developed by Haliburton known as “fracking.” Fracking involves injecting millions of gallons of water, sand and proprietary chemicals under high pressure into a drilled well, which, in turn, fractures the shale and allows for natural gas extraction.
After being asked to lease his land for drilling, Fox sets out on a cross-country trip to learn more about the methods and consequences behind the natural gas drilling boom. Along the way, he finds that there is much more than just drilling going on. There are also unexplained illnesses, flammable tap water and contamination surfacing with the rise of this “fracking” technology. The film’s website describes it as “part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown.”
The premier is being sponsored by Buffalo State College’s Communication Department, New York State Senator Antoine M. Thompson, and Buffalo State College’s Students for Peace. The film will start at 7 p.m. Admission and parking in the student and faculty lots are free. The Bulger Communication Center is located at 1300 Elmwood Avenue.
For more information about GASLAND, visit the film’s
official website. The film will be
broadcast on HBO through 2010 and will be coming out on DVD in December of
2010.