The award-winning South African documentary on fracking,
Unearthed, is in many ways a film by the people for the people,
from initial crowd-funding to citizens across three continents opening their
homes to share the story. But, at its core, it is the product of one filmmaker’s
tenacious search for the truth.
The Karoo is a thirsty stretch of desert in the Western Cape which is dotted with
low-income farming communities and outlined by expansive horizons and mauve
mountain ranges. For those who call it home, like director Jolynn Minnaar, it is a
place of simple beauty and down-to-earth people, now threatened by the health
and environmental dangers associated with shale gas extraction.
On the surface, hydraulic fracturing could benefit the country’s economy and
create many much needed jobs in the area. But in 2011, when a multinational oil
and gas company expressed interest in fracking in the Karoo, Minnaar began to
dig a little deeper and embarked on an intercontinental quest for in-depth
information.
What the frack?
After reaching a research stalemate in South Africa, Minnaar travelled
extensively in the US trying to properly understand the method and implications
behind the strange word “fracking’. In the film, this is explained clearly and in
detail, but gathering accurate information was not an easy undertaking,
especially considering that Minaar shot all the footage entirely on her own.
She recalls, “It wasn’t a comfortable journey by any means and there are
moments when I look back and think, “that was a little mad’. Because I was
doing it on my own, it was relatively cheap and not glamourous at all. I was
bumming lifts and sleeping on people’s couches or airport floors.’
The film was mainly shot using Minnaar’s personal camera, a Canon 5D, which
suited the nature of her filming. “It was perfect in terms of security, the guise of
taking photos and having to be quick on my feet. I couldn’t lug equipment
around – all I had was a backpack, a tripod and a basic sound kit. The 5D is
really compact and chick-friendly, which is perfect for someone shooting eight
hours a day for five months.’
Aside from having to operate alone in rural areas where there were large
numbers of intimidating male gas workers, Minnaar was probing at a
controversial subject that had, in one way or another, silenced many potential
whistle-blowers. She remarks, “I wasn’t made welcome.’ But rather than
incorporate her personal experiences in the film, Minaar chose to keep the focus
where she had always intended it to be; on setting the record straight on
fracking and providing the people of the Karoo with the accurate information
they so desperately needed.
Striking middle ground
Unearthed, unlike previous documentaries on the subject, presents
an unbiased and informative conversation about a topic that is becoming more
internationally relevant each day. Minnaar has even presented the film to
sectors of South African government, at their request, as a tool to frame
discussions on the issue.
“I believe the film has been well received because of my approach of trying to
show both sides of the story. I’m not naive to the fact that it’s not the best PR
for oil and gas companies but I think it has brought me more grace compared to
other films on the topic because of the approach I’ve taken and I’m happy about
that, not because I’m worried about my own well-being or the people I make
mad. I care because I want the film to last, to make sense, to be valid and
accurate, and mean something in a time when so many countries are
desperately trying to understand what fracking is before they sign off on
it.’
An unconventional course
Before being developed as a feature-length documentary, communicating the
message behind Unearthed was the driving force which catapulted
Minnaar into 18 months of relentless research. Initially, there was no intention
of creating a film, but after establishing a strong online following and examining
countless hours of valuable footage, she felt it was the best way to deliver the
message.
Following her stint in the US, Minnaar began looking for additional finance in
order to transform hours of video research into a film. Up until that point the
project had been backed by crowd-funded campaigns as well as her own
finances, and supported by Zootee Studios, which had been involved in the
project from the beginning of its journey, and Stage 5 films, which came on
board in 2013.
After being submitted to all available platforms, the project was selected to be
part of the 2013 Durban FilmMart where it won a development grant from
WorldView, a UK-based funding arm. It also featured at Wild Talk Africa where
Minnaar, along with Dylan Voogt and Saskia Schiel from Stage 5 Films entered a
co-production deal with Chris Nicklin and Zanele Mthembu from Sabido
Productions, who provided a sizeable portion of the funding for post-production.
“Unearthed isn’t necessarily like a typical doccie which traditionally
would go to festivals for a year and then go to TV. We argued our festival time
down, which is quite unusual, but we felt it was more about getting our
message out there in the best way we can,’ said Minnaar, who has also helmed
an online campaign containing all of her research and interview footage.
She continued, “The roadshow is the other part, where we’ll be screening the
film in the Karoo, to universities across South Africa and to other government
departments.’
Internationally there has also been a lot of interest, with screening requests
flooding in from Tasmania to Canada and from the Netherlands to Botswana.
Stories that matter
“I’m really inspired that the response to the film has been what it has been. It
means that stories that matter still count. It’s really hard to make documentaries
in South Africa,’ commented Minaar who believes there are still so many South
African stories which need to be told. To those who feel strongly about a story
they want to tell, she concludes with the following advice:
“Always back yourself. Believe that you know the story and that it found you for
a reason. It’s your responsibility to present it accurately and make sure that it
resonates appropriately. Respect the story and the people you use to tell it. If
you don’t do that, the investment in that story falls apart.
“Don’t be afraid of different ways of telling stories. There are many burgeoning
documentary filmmakers out there who think that making a film is the only way
to tell a story. Stories that matter don’t have to be documentaries, they can be
in the form of a short film, a series of photographs, graffiti on a wall, a rap song
or an art installation. It’s really important that South Africans start realising that
by having that mentality, they are limiting stories that matter to a very small
part of our population.’
