The Patagonia region of Argentina is known for its stunning landscapes and  fruit production. But it harbors a dark secret. Home to the world’s fourth largest shale oil reserve and second largest shale gas reserve, the people living here have endured the impacts of fracking for years in almost-total obscurity, largely ignored by both Argentinian and global media. 

This is Fracking centers around the theme of climate colonialism, showing how oil companies, banned from fracking in their home countries in Europe, are instead exporting their destruction by fracking the Global South, in areas where environmental laws are more lax and the economic situation more dire. 

As oil companies reap record profits, local communities including the Mapuche Indigenous People and the fruit producers of Vaca Muerta are suffering the devastating impacts of earthquakes caused by fracking, widespread pollution, encroachment on traditional and agricultural lands, and exposure to disease, including leukemia, caused by the chemicals found in the drinking water. This is Fracking reveals the true story behind fracking in Patagonia, the one we have not yet been shown.

Credits:

Directors: Rocío Rodríguez Almaraz, Paula Otero

Writer: Rocío Rodríguez Almaraz

Creative Producer: Rocío Rodríguez Almaraz

Executive Producers: Hugo Duchesne, Aube Giroux

Cinematographer: Paula Otero

Editors: Paula Otero, Agustín Svarzchtein