Josh Fox

Josh Fox – Life, Career, and Perspective

Learn about Josh Fox — the American director, playwright, and environmental activist best known for his groundbreaking documentaries like Gasland and How to Let Go of the World. Explore his biography, works, values, and lessons from his journey.

Introduction

Josh Fox is a multifaceted American filmmaker, theater director, playwright, and activist whose work often lies at the intersection of art and advocacy. Gasland (2010), which helped bring the issue of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) into public awareness. Through his films, performances, and theater work, Fox seeks not just to inform—but to provoke dialogue, challenge power, and inspire change.

Early Life and Education

Josh Fox was born in New York City and also spent parts of his youth in Milanville, Pennsylvania.

He attended public school in New York (PS 6, Wagner Junior High) and Columbia Preparatory School for high school. Columbia University, majoring in theater, graduating in 1995.

Early in life, Fox was also active musically: he co-founded a band, The 3rd Degree, at age 14, which played in the New York ska / punk scene around CBGB’s and other downtown venues.

Career and Achievements

Theater & International WOW Company

In 1996, Fox founded International WOW, a theater and film company through which he has created and directed dozens of stage works, often blending performance, political themes, multimedia, and ensemble collaboration across cultures.

His theater works address social, political, and existential themes—“crises of our time”—using bold visual and narrative techniques.

Documentary & Film Work

Fox’s best-known work is Gasland (2010), a documentary exposing the environmental and health impacts of hydraulic fracturing in the U.S. Gasland premiered at Sundance, won a Special Jury Prize, and earned an Academy Award nomination and Emmy recognition.

He followed with Gasland Part II (2013) on HBO, expanding the investigation. How to Let Go of the World (And Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change) (2016) and Awake: A Dream from Standing Rock (2017), dealing with climate change, activism, and indigenous resistance.

He also created The Truth Has Changed, a solo performance, film, and book exploring misinformation, media, and propaganda in contemporary culture.

His more recent project The Edge of Nature deals with his experience recovering from long COVID and muses on nature, healing, and crises.

Throughout, Fox’s work marries documentary urgency with creative experimentation.

Awards & Recognition

• Gasland earned a Special Jury Prize at Sundance.

• He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

• He won the Primetime Emmy for Best Nonfiction Directing.

• He received the Lennon/Ono Grant for Peace.

• His theatrical work has been supported by NEA grants, MAP Fund grants, an Otto Award, and nominations such as for the Drama Desk.

Activism & Values

Fox is not just a filmmaker but a vocal activist, especially against fracking and for environmental justice. Gasland began when a gas company offered to lease his land, prompting him to investigate fracking’s effects.

He has participated in protests, testified before government bodies, even been arrested for attempting to document legislative hearings on fracking.

More recently, through The Truth Has Changed, Fox critiques disinformation, surveillance, propaganda, and the manipulation of public discourse—a theme increasingly urgent in today’s media climate. The Edge of Nature, blending personal resilience with broader ecological and social reflection.

Personality and Creative Approach

Josh Fox is known for being fearless, provocative, and deeply committed. His work suggests an artist who refuses to draw a line between art and life, who views storytelling as activism, and who believes in the power of performance to shift consciousness.

He employs hybrid forms—mixing documentary, performance, theatre, multimedia—leveraging aesthetics as persuasion. His consistent focus is on injustice: environmental, social, political.

He seems to believe in the responsibility of the artist-citizen: not passive depiction but engaged witness and critic.

Lessons from Josh Fox

1. Art as Action
   Fox models that cinema and theater can be tools of resistance, not just entertainment.

2. Follow your land
   His journey began by protecting his own property—and led him to uncover broader systemic issues.

3. Courage to dissent
   He has repeatedly used his visibility to challenge corporations and governments at personal risk.

4. Integrate personal and global
   His work on COVID recovery, ecology, and media shows how personal experiences can illuminate global crises.

5. Persist through pushback
   His career demonstrates resilience: criticisms, controversies, and institutional pressures haven’t silenced him.