Over Seventy Ithacans Make Zombie Movie About Natural Gas Drilling
Frac Attack: Dawn of the Watershed, an 18-minute environmental zombie movie, will premiere at Cinemapolis in downtown Ithaca on December 10th, 2009.
The premise: When the town of Ithaca gets fracked by natural gas drilling, the water goes sour and the citizens start craving human flesh. Anna and other survivors band together to save their community.
The film is a co-production of Shirari Industries and The Dacha Project, in association with the Shaleshock Citizens Action Alliance. The idea emerged out of the Ithaca Freeskool D.I.Y. Movie-Making class. Frac Attack was made to inspire action to protect the environment from the exploitative drilling of the Marcellus Shale by multinational corporations. Shaleshock will be tabling in the lobby of Cinemapolis during and after the screening.
After the premiere, the film will stream online for free in its entirety at www.fracattackthemovie.com, and visitors to the site will be invited to learn more and take action on the issues. The filmmakers are also encouraging individuals and community groups to organize screenings of any size as a strategy for sparking action. There has been interest in screenings in Otsego, Broome and Tioga Counties as well as at the New Roots Charter School.
Frac Attack was made on location in Ithaca and includes dramatic scenes at Ithaca Falls, Stewart Park and The Commons. Over 70 members of the community were involved; people of all ages came out to be zombies and help out with production, including students from TC3, Cornell University and Ithaca College. Local businesses including Ahimsa Yoga, Dancing Turtle Farms, Greenstar Cooperative Market, Ithaca Bakery, Loaves & Fishes, Moosewood Restaurant and The Tompkins County Workers’ Center donated food and space. The film has been honored with a “Sign of Sustainability” Award by Sustainable Tompkins.
Shira Golding, Writer, Co-Director and Editor of the film: “In all movements for social and environmental justice, it takes a combination of strategies to create positive change. The arts, and films specifically, are powerful tools to reach people at an emotional level and it’s our hope that Frac Attack will inspire people who might not have otherwise got involved to start asking questions and take action.”
Lily Gershon, a member of The Dacha Project and an actor in the film: “For me, Frac Attack was another way to express the ridiculousness of natural gas drilling. If poisoning our own water supply isn't ludicrous enough, then how about zombies?”
Kevin Mayer, an activist with Shaleshock and an actor in the film: “Decades of psychic numbing have created a populace so disconnected from their landbase, so clueless about their true source of life, that they could easily be robbed of their birthright by promises of cash. Frac Attack is first-aid for a culture of PTSD and denial.”
Extra Isaac Spencer gets turned into a
zombie. Photo by Joe Fisher.
Screening Details:
7:00 Family Screen
7:30 Q&A with Filmmakers
8:00 R-Rated
After Party TBA
$5-10 suggested donation
Tickets at the door - come early!
Cinemapolis
120 E. Green St, Ithaca, NY
For photos and more information, contact Shira Golding:
607-821-0654 or shira@shirari.com
Visit the Facebook event page at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=215155877323
