‘Gasland Part II’ director Josh Fox hosting Q&A session
Local fans of the Academy Award nominated documentary “Gasland” will want to clear their schedules on June 20.
At 7 p.m., the South Hills Area Against Dangerous Drilling (SHAADD) and Marcellus Protest organizations will be hosting a free, prerelease screening of “Gasland Part II,” the sequel to the documentary, at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland. Josh Fox, the director of “Gasland” and “Gasland Part II,” will be in attendance and will be hosting a Q & A session after the film. This screening will be his last on the Grassroots screening tour before the film premieres July 8 on HBO.
“We hope that this movie will continue to inform and enlighten the people of the community towards fracking,” said Sarah Scholl, member of SHAADD. “We found the first ‘Gasland’ to be not only extremely informative, but important. We are deeply concerned about the future of South Hills, and we hope this screening will provide people with a better understanding of the problem.”
The theater will hold 2,300, and the organizers hope to fill every seat.
“I look forward to seeing more of the impacts of fracking in this film,” said Gloria Forouzan, member of SHAADD. “Constantly, we are asking, ‘What are they doing? What is being done?’ Just in this area alone, there have been a lot of things happening. There have been many, many accidents. I am interested in seeing what other people have been doing around the country.”
After the film premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Fox has been touring with the film across the country.
Fox received wide acclaim from the first “Gasland.” After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, it went on be showcased on HBO and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary.
“The story is far from over,” Forouzan said. “I know a lot of people have been hearing a lot about fracking over the past three years. We know a lot more now than we did then. So, this film will be looking at different aspects of it.”
The process of bringing this film to this area began back in June 2010, when the first movie was screened in the area. After seeing the film, the group began to get together and decided to host a fracking protest. They expected about 50 people to come, but instead they got more than 600, including Fox. The conversation between the filmmaker and the group continued.
“It’s been a very grassroots effort,” said Forouzan.
“You can never be too informed about something that is happening in your community,” said Scholl. “We really do hope folks come out and become informed about fracking and what they can do.”
In addition to the film, SHAADD will also be seen at the Whitehall and Brentwood community days, along with, potentially, a couple others, and will continue to have its meetings on the third Monday of each month in the Whitehall Borough Multi-Purpose Room. SHAADD can also be found on Facebook and at its website, shaadd.org.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. The Q & A session is scheduled to go from 9-10 p.m. Fox and the film’s progress can be followed on Twitter, @gaslandmovie or online at www.gaslandthemovie.com.