Frackman

This is a film about ordinary people caught up in a modern day multinational “gold rush” to secure and exploit coal seam gas.

FRACKMAN introduces us to Dayne Pratzky, a knockabout pig shooter building a simple home on his block of land in Central Queensland. One day the gas company comes calling and demands access to his land for gas mining. Dayne is told he has no right to refuse access to his land, and so begins his transformation to a reluctant activist on a journey that takes him around the world.

Through Dayne, we meet people drawn into a battle that crosses the ideological divide, bringing together a peculiar alliance of farmers, conservationists and political conservatives. Along the way Dayne finds love, tragedy and triumph as he battles to save his community from becoming an industrial wasteland. There are laughs, tears and near death experiences, and a raft of colourful Aussie Bush characters.

But it’s the underlying theme that is critical: Who owns our land? Who owns our future? Can we balance competing claims for our water, food and energy and still preserve the environment?

One thing is certain: the rush to extract coal seam gas is changing our way of life, forcing us to ask tough questions about what we value.