Director Gregory Kallenberg and producer Mark Bullard’s film “Haynesville: A Nation’s Hunt for Energy,” a Haynesville Shale documentary, premiered at Tech Oct. 6 in Wyly Tower of Learning Auditorium.
Kallenberg and Bullard were the first speakers of the School of Architecture Lecture Series.
“Haynesville” centers around the discovery of Haynesville Shale, a 170-trillion cubic foot natural gas reserve located in northwestern Louisiana.
“I set out to make a film of people’s personal stories in this energy boom,” Kallenberg said. “We had to add context after the size of the energy reserve was apparent.”
In his film, Kallenberg shares the stories of three individuals directly affected by Haynesville Shale.
These stories show both sides of the energy boom in northwestern Louisiana.
He also spoke with environmentalists, scholars and oil and gas industry experts about the impact of this discovery and its possibilities as an answer to today’s energy crisis.
“The film shows people the costs and benefits of clean energy,” Kallenberg said. “Also, it focuses on the importance of natural gas and energy conservation.”
Amy Day, a junior architecture major, said the film put Haynesville Shale into a new perspective beyond what is shown in the news.
“The movie showed the affects of Haynesville Shale from all angles,” Day said. “It showed what was going on both worldwide and here in Louisiana.”
She also said the film shed light on people not typically seen but greatly affected in these situations.
“The people in the movie were people everyone could relate to,” Day said. “They had struggles like everyone else and are the kind of people you want to hear about.”
Chris Kepner, a senior architecture major, said he liked the film’s emphasis on the community in northwestern Louisiana.
“Haynesville Shale has had a huge impact on this region,” Kepner said. “It’s cool that people from all over are getting to see what’s been going on in our backyard.”
The film has been shown in festivals worldwide including World Climate Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark and South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
The film has also had screenings in New York, Washington, D.C. and New Orleans.
However, Kallenberg said he enjoys showing his film on college campuses the most because of the students he meets.
“Students are an important part of the solution,” he said. “They will be the future of coming up with alternatives and solutions to these energy problems.”
He said he felt the next generation will utilize the energy well but must remember to be responsible with its use.
“I’m excited about the prospect of the reserve,” Kallenberg said. “But we must remember to be vigilant and environmentally responsible if we want to do this right.”