The volatile combination of energy policy and corporate profits vs. small town values and ecological concerns are examined in director Gus Van Sant’s new feature Promised Land. In the film a salesman (Matt Damon) for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources via the controversial extraction process known as ‘fracking.’ Van Sant spoke about the challenges of making the film following the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles on December 8. Director Jeremy Kagan (Golda’s Balcony) served as moderator.