‘Gaslit’ Trailer: Jane Fonda Joins Forces With Gulf Coast Communities In “Tooth And Nail” Environmental Fight
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Jane Fonda has been spending time in Texas oilfields and along the Gulf Coast – not for an acting role but for an urgent new documentary.
In Gaslit, which makes its world premiere on February 5 at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, the two-time Oscar winner embarks on a road trip to visit frontline communities deeply impacted by the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. According to a recent analysis conducted by the Sierra Club and Greenpeace USA, LNG terminals produce “deadly air pollution… estimated to cause 60 premature deaths and $957 million in total health costs per year. If all the planned terminals and expansion projects are built, these numbers would increase to 149 premature deaths and $2.33 billion in health costs per year.”
The Natural Resources Defense Council, meanwhile, says LNG is “neither clean nor low in greenhouse gas emissions,” and notes LNG terminals worldwide “are situated around many biodiversity hot spots and continuous LNG cargo traffic causes significant disturbance to marine life.” (The Center for LNG, which advocates for the industry, states the abundance of natural gas in the U.S. “combined with its low-emissions and reliability, make natural gas a building block of the clean energy future and an affordable and low-carbon energy choice for consumers at home and across the globe.”)
Actor-activist Jane Fonda visits John Allaire, retired environmental engineer and Southwest Louisiana resident, in ‘Gaslit.’
Courtesy of Tim Aubry/Greenpeace
Gaslit, produced by Greenpeace USA, is directed by Katie Camosy. Joining Fonda in the film are award-winning actor Connie Britton and Grammy Award-nominated producer-songwriter and performer Maggie Rogers.
“It looks like we’re driving into a s**t storm,” Fonda observes in the trailer for Gaslit, as she travels along a landscape of oil derricks and LNG facilities. “Yeah,” says a fellow passenger in the vehicle, “we are, literally.” Later, Fonda aims a camera that can pick up methane gas releases that aren’t visible to the naked eye. Methane is a significant contributor to climate change.
“It’s shocking!” she exclaims. “Massive clouds of methane coming through… I’m so angry.”
Watch the trailer for Gaslit above.
“The film offers an intimate and urgent portrait of shrimpers, cattle ranchers, former oil workers, families, faith leaders, organizers, and self-described ‘reluctant activists’ who are standing up to the harms caused by this expansion” of LNG production, notes a press release. “These individuals – across political and cultural spectrums – have come together in defense of the communities and coastlines they love.”
In the film, Fonda tells community members, “I hereby promise you that I will do everything in my power until the day I die to make sure people know what’s going on here.”
In a statement, the actor-activist said, “This boom isn’t just about oil and gas – it’s about injustice, pollution, and the destruction of entire communities. Gaslit is about amplifying the voices of everyday Americans who are too often ignored. They know what it means to confront power that is seemingly insurmountable, even when you have everything to lose.”
The Gaslit press release describes the film as “both a call to action and a reflection on the decades-long struggle between fossil fuel profiteering and the survival of frontline communities.”
“Now more than ever, we need the world to hear directly from those experiencing the climate crisis firsthand,” Camosy said. “Gaslit is a visual representation of the movement and the people fighting tooth and nail for their lives every day. We’re deeply grateful to the communities in the Gulf South for their leadership – and we hope that people leave the theater feeling both outraged and inspired by their stories.”
The Gaslit trailer can be viewed above.
