The Bakken

In the late 2000's fracking allowed producers to extract previously unimaginable amounts of oil from The Bakken, a shale formation that had long sat dormant under northwestern North Dakota. Suddenly, thousands of workers were flocking to fill oil jobs and economic opportunities emerged across the entire local economy. In a region known more for its ghost towns and gray hair than its strip clubs and single men, this was a paradigm shift. The Bakken follows a disparate and intertwined group of locals and newcomers as they navigate the boom, both embracing and struggling against the sea change. Over the course of three years, we watch as ambitions soar and anxieties climb. Is this is the new normal, or a poignant example of the economy's increasingly turbulent cycle of boom and bust? The Bakken examines the human cost of bull market fracking, and for some, the price is quite steep. (Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival)