ABOUT THE FILM

LOGLINE

When their communities are threatened, three fearless grassroots leaders—joined by rebellious Rockefeller heirs—confront Big Oil and environmental racism in a fight for a renewable future, proving that everyday people can change the course of history.

LONG SYNOPSIS

As extreme weather around the world grows deadlier, a new generation of leaders is rising to face the challenges. In the American South, hard hit by climate disasters, three unlikely heroes take on one of the most powerful industries in the world.

25-year-old Justin J. Pearson rallies a multiracial grassroots coalition to try and defeat a crude oil pipeline in Memphis, Tennessee. Roishetta Ozane, a mother of six from Louisiana, transforms personal loss into political action, taking her fight from the storm-ravaged streets to the halls of Congress. Sharon Wilson, a former oil insider turned methane hunter, uses infrared cameras to expose invisible deadly gases pouring from fracking sites and pipelines in Texas that have been hiding in plain sight.

Backing them are unlikely allies, descendents of John D. Rockefeller, who have turned against their family’s oil empire to expose ExxonMobil’s decades long coverup. Together, this coalition uncovers what they call Big Oil’s “Big Con”—an industry doubling down on fossil fuels while disguising the truth.

With gripping access, THIS IS NOT A DRILL is the story of courage, betrayal and grassroots victories that shows how people, armed with only grit and determination, can stand up to power. The smallest voices can topple giants.

Director Oren Jacoby

Writer Betsy West

Producers Sam Jinishian, Janet Klein, Betsy West, Alex Lowther, Monika McClure

Executive Producers Geralyn Dreyfous, Melony & Adam Lewis, Melissa Johnson

Co-Executive Producer Dana DiCarlo

Consulting Producer Sam Pollard

Editor Ilya Chaiken

Directors of Photography Rachel Beth Anderson, Buddy Squires, Tom Hurwitz, Stefan Wiesen, Bob Richman, Jason Longo, Andy Sarjahani

Original Music by Joel Goodman

Cast Roishetta Ozane, Justin J. Pearson, Sharon Wilson, Otis Sanford, Ward Archer, Lottie Larce, Jeff Prince, Peter Gill Case, Valerie Rockefeller, David Kaiser, Miranda Kaiser, Scottie Fitzgerald, Dr. Kimberly Owens-Pearson, Tim Doty, Miguel Escoto, Molly Dunton, John Beard, Kamea Ozane, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Ed Markey

FESTIVALS
2025: Telluride (World Premiere)

AWARDS
Audience Award—Best Documentary Feature (Globe Docs)

AVAILABLE TERRITORIES
The World

EXHIBITION FORMATS
DCP, Digital Download