Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of Wisconsin Public Television's
Director's Cut.
Tonight, we explore what's been called a modern day gold rush
in the film My Country No More.
Set in Trenton, North Dakota, My Country No More
looks at how one community deals with oil drilling
which reached epic proportions
in this region of North Dakota between 2011 to 2016.
After struggling through a foreclosure
of their family's farm in 1980's,
Kalie Rider and her older brother, Jed,
strive to rebuild their family's farming heritage
when some of their family's land is sold by their uncle
and industrialized.
The Riders must decide whether to stay and fight for their farm
or uproot their families.
For co-directors Rita Baghdadi and Jeremiah Hammerling
this is not the first time they've collaborated.
They worked together on City Rising, a TV mini-series,
and have another project currently filming
titled Eternal Life Fan Club.
Jeremiah Hammerling is a native of Trenton
and was awarded a documentary fellowship
for this film set in his hometown.
This is Rita Baghdadi's
feature-length documentary directorial debut.
My Country No More starts now,
on Wisconsin Public Television,
your home for independent film.