It is not every day that a first-time director lands an icon for their debut. Katie Camosy did just that. Her new documentary, Gaslit, features Jane Fonda on a road trip through the Southern United States, documenting the human cost of oil and gas refineries. It is a stark, personal look at environmental decay.

This is not a typical celebrity vanity project. It is the first feature-length documentary produced by Greenpeace USA. The film’s origin traces back to a 2022 trip to Texas, where Camosy and Fonda investigated the rise of liquefied natural gas. The data was alarming. The stories were worse. Camosy knew she had a film.

A Decade of Collaboration

Camosy did not just hire a star. She built a partnership. The two had worked together for years on Greenpeace’s "Fire Drill Friday" series. That history provided a foundation of trust. When it came time to film Gaslit, the collaboration deepened.

Fonda was not a passive participant. She spent months in pre-production, digging through research and refining the narrative. She arrived at meetings with new ideas. She challenged the script. For Fonda, the work always comes first.

"It’s pretty wild to direct an icon," Camosy says. "But Jane didn’t mind." Fonda wanted results. She wanted the story told correctly.

The Power of the Platform

Fonda’s involvement is a strategic choice. She knows her own influence. In the film’s opening, she explicitly acknowledges that her celebrity provides a spotlight. She is using that light to illuminate the residents of communities like Wallace, Louisiana, who are fighting industrial encroachment.

Camosy leaned into this. She brought in other high-profile figures, including Connie Britton and Maggie Rogers, at Fonda’s suggestion. Britton, who filmed Friday Night Lights in Texas, provided a personal connection to the region. Rogers offered a fresh perspective. Both were eager to meet the activists on the ground.

Accessing the Archives

Greenpeace provided more than just funding. They provided history. The organization has been active in Louisiana and Texas since the 1980s. Their archives proved vital to the film’s structure.

Editor Laura Franco Velasco discovered footage of a man named Herbert from Mossville. The clip showed him with the cattle he had lost decades ago. It was a moment of pure discovery. That archival evidence bridged the gap between past policy and present-day suffering.

Key Takeaways

  • Gaslit marks the first time Greenpeace USA has produced a feature-length documentary, signaling a shift toward long-form narrative storytelling.
  • Jane Fonda’s involvement was not merely promotional; she acted as a researcher and narrative architect throughout the production process.
  • The film utilizes decades of Greenpeace archival footage to contrast historical environmental promises with the current reality of refinery-adjacent communities.

The Road Ahead

Climate stories are human stories. Camosy believes the public is increasingly skeptical of billion-dollar industries, especially when health is on the line. The film is currently making its rounds at festivals, including Raindance. Its commercial distribution strategy remains the next hurdle. Whether the film secures a major streaming deal or opts for a targeted grassroots release will be decided by the end of the third quarter. That choice will determine if Gaslit reaches the mainstream or remains a specialized tool for activists.