It’s not everybody who can say Jane Fonda stars of their function directorial debut, an honor Katie Camosy boasts in “Gaslit.” The documentary follows the enduring actor and activist as she takes a highway journey by way of the oil and fuel fields of the Southern U.S., visiting communities most affected by the air and water air pollution produced by the refineries which have taken over these cities.
Talking with Selection forward of screening the movie on the Raindance Film Festival, Camosy says the primary seed of inspiration for the movie got here by way of her decade-long work with the main environmentally-focused community Greenpeace. The director joined the group again in 2015 as a video producer, happening to collaborate with Fonda for his or her “Fire Drill Friday” sequence. In 2022, the duo took a visit to Texas to study liquefied pure fuel, with their findings main Camosy to consider there was a transparent story to inform about what was occurring within the area.
“Gaslit” turned the primary feature-length movie produced by Greenpeace USA, with the director praising the group for supporting the documentary “while also not trying to dictate what it is or isn’t.” “That freedom allowed us to showcase people from all ends of the political spectrum,” she provides.
Speaking about the benefits of having Greenpeace’s backing for the movie, Camosy highlights the community’s wealth of archival footage and experience. “Greenpeace spent a lot of time in Texas and Louisiana in the 1980s and 1990s, and you’ll see footage from that time period in ‘Gaslit,’” she says. “There were so many incredible moments of discovery. I remember when our editor, Laura Franco Velasco, found archival footage of Herbert from Mossville, someone we’d already interviewed in the present day, which showed him with the cattle he talks about losing. This kind of footage proved invaluable.”
As for getting Fonda on board, Camosy says the 2 have “always collaborated well,” however the relationship developed with “Gaslit.” “We spent countless hours in pre-production, poring over research and shaping the narrative through the communities we’d visit. Jane did so much research on her own and always came to meetings with new questions and ideas. Our collaboration continued on set and during the edit. I could tell how much it mattered to her that we tell this story properly and do right by the people in the film.”
“It’s pretty wild to direct an icon like Jane Fonda in my feature debut, but Jane didn’t mind,” provides the director. “For her, it’s all about the work and getting the best result. I can’t think of a better mentor.”
Requested concerning the degree of visibility a reputation like Fonda’s brings to a movie, Camosy says having somebody of “Jane’s stature” in “Gaslit” “means a lot more people will see it than would have otherwise.” “Jane actually acknowledges this at the beginning of the film when she explains that her celebrity affords her a spotlight, and she is using it to shine a light on the people and issues in ‘Gaslit.’”
Different main names resembling “Nashville” star Connie Britton and singer Maggie Rogers are featured within the movie, an concept that got here from Fonda herself. “They’re friends of hers, and Connie’s involvement made sense because of her history with Texas filming the ‘Friday Night Lights’ TV series and movie,” provides Camosy. “Connie loves Texas and was shocked at how it’s changed over the years. Maggie was also eager to see the region for herself and meet people like Jo Banner of Wallace, Louisiana, who’s fighting back against the oil and gas industry to protect her community.”
Camosy reiterates “climate stories are human stories” and that we’re present process a second when “most of us are distrustful of billion-dollar industries, especially when our health and livelihood are at stake.” “Fossil fuels are inherently connected to stories of war and to new technologies, and we’re seeing a lot of people become fed up with data centers and volatile energy costs.”
20 years in the past, Camosy spent months in London capturing the underground music scene on the English capital for what she hoped can be her first function documentary. How does she really feel presenting her long-gestating directorial debut within the metropolis in any case this time? “Quite emotional,” she says. “I’ve learned so much in these 20 years, but in many ways I feel like the same filmmaker who’s trying to document specific people in a specific place during a specific time.”
