Two scientists attempt to undermine the international dinosaur bone trade — one by returning fossils to the place from where they were stolen, the other by literally bringing dinosaurs back to life.
In the wake of the dramatic 2013 court case United States of America vs One Tyrannosaurus Bataar Skeleton, Dr. Bolor Minjin, one of Mongolia’s first female paleontologists, travels from her home in New York City back to the Gobi desert from where the dinosaur bones were originally stolen. Her story launches us down the serpentine trail of poached fossils around the globe, from the deserts of central Asia and dark alleys of Seoul to dingy motel rooms at the Tucson Gem Show and the backlots of Hollywood where famed paleontologist, Jack Horner sits watching a sneak preview of the final Jurassic Park film. The real-life inspiration for Dr. Alan Grant at the center of the movie, Jack was once Bolor’s mentor. He now spends his days reaching back into Deep Time attempting to extract knowledge lost to extinction. His dream is to bring dinosaurs back to life. Following the twisting tales of Jack and Bolor, we encounter “commercial paleontologists,” high-end art traders, local politicians, poachers, journalists and other players with lucrative stakes in the underground economy of international fossil trading. The Untitled Dinosaur Bone Film weaves together interlocking stories of people at the center of the bone trade all caught between the demands of commerce and the basic human drive to unlock the most profound mysteries of life.
Status
In production
About the Filmmakers
Director
Jeremy Xido
A filmmaker and performing artist originally from Detroit, Jeremy graduated cum laude in Painting and Comparative Literature from Columbia University in NYC. A Fulbright and Guggenheim fellow, since 2003 he has been artistic co-director of performance and film company CABULA6, voted “company of the year 2009” by Europe’s prestigious performance magazine, Ballettanz, and awarded “Outstanding Artist of the Year 2010” by the Austrian Ministry of the Arts. Jeremy’s award-winning feature documentary Death Metal Angola screened at more than 90 film festivals including Rotterdam, Dubai, BAFICI, Sydney, CPH:DOX, and DOC NYC. Reviews in Indiewire and the Hollywood Reporter have described it as “riveting,” “absorbing, beautifully shot... superb,” “raucously crowd pleasing,” and “a cult classic in the making.” It opened theatrically in the United States in November 2014. Jeremy’s three-part solo stage performance The Angola film, developed with funding from the European Union and a residency at the Experimental Music and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), has premiered around the world at venues such as Impulstanz in Vienna and PS122 in New York. The New York Times found it a “marvelously quixotic … jostling collage that is intimate yet informed by sweeping issues surrounding class, race and identity.” Jeremy performed a selection of the piece at TEDx Fulbright in 2014
Producer
Stephanie Levy
Stephanie is an internationally recognized award-winning producer. Recently a producer on An Honest Liar, a feature documentary which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the 2014 Audience Award at the AFI Documentary Festival In Washington, DC and recently completed a 60 city theatrical release with Abramorama. An Honest Liar sold to Netflix and ITVS/Independent Lens and the BBC Storyville amongst many other foreign broadcasters. She is currently producing a feature length documentary about the tragic effects of plastic pollution in our oceans told from the perspective of a colony of seabirds in the middle of the Pacific, currently titled Midway. Midway, in post-production received the 2013 documentary fund grant from Sundance and many other prestigious grants and premiered as a work-in-progress film at TIFF. Stephanie produced the independent narrative feature film, David, winner of many awards, including: the Ecumenical Prize from the Montreal World Film Festival, Special Jury Award at the Napa Valley Film Festival. Stephanie also develops and produces numerous industrials, PSA’s and fashion web content for luxury companies like Hermes and Barney’s. Stephanie has 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and brand strategist. Stephanie is a proud member of the Producers Guild of America and Women in Film.