A synopsis is here:
Fanatical birdwatchers have descended upon a rural town in the Arkansas bayou, searching for concrete proof of the recently-spotted Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, previously thought to be extinct. Rabid environmentalists, opportunistic entrepreneurs, skeptics and disgruntled loggers and hunters vie for prominence in the ensuing chaos. Enter amateur birder and philosopher Johnny Neander, who has convinced his taciturn sidekick that he will be the one to find it. Exploring the twilight of uncertainty between documentary and narrative fiction, all truth becomes subjective in this existential tragicomedy comedy about a troubled man desperately searching for an elusive bird that may, or may not, be “real”.The movie's website is here; its IMDb page is here.
An interview with writer/director/producer Alex Karpovsky is here. Karpovsky apparently has at least some understanding of the truth behind the Arkansas "Ivory-bill" fiasco--at one point, for example, he says that people "think" they saw it. About small town mysteries or phenomenons, he says "...usually they bring in money for a very short amount of time...as the money goes away, only the hard-core people remain...the hard-core believers, I always find interesting as character studies."
Here is a related paragraph from a 2006 article:
The 30-year-old filmmaker hopes to make his next feature later this year. “It’s about a small town’s relationship with an elusive woodpecker that no one seems able to find,” says Karpovsky. “It’s gonna be balls of fun, excruciatingly funny and, if all goes well, tinged with a whisper of existential melancholy. I’m still trying to find all the actors I’ll need and have yet to secure all the financing. So if there’s anybody out there ready to quadruple their investment, please do let me know.”
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5 comments:
It took me a while to figure this one out. At first I thought the whole thing was a joke from beginning to end. I guess it is a joke of sorts. The guy makes mockumentaries. The Ivory-billed woodpecker rediscovery is a very good choice for a topic.
Rabid environmentalists, opportunistic entrepreneurs, skeptics and disgruntled loggers and hunters vie for prominence in the ensuing chaos.
Skeptics "vie for prominence"?
As if.
I simply cannot wait to see this. Tom, please keep us posted.
"Exploring the twilight of uncertainty between documentary and narrative fiction, all truth becomes subjective in this existential tragicomedy comedy about a troubled man desperately searching for an elusive bird that may, or may not, be “real”."
The "truth" is that there isn't any irrefutable evidence of the continued existence of Ivory-billeds. It's an objective, conservative conclusion, and so far it's irrefutable....
"I’m still trying to find all the actors I’ll need and have yet to secure all the financing."
Who needs actors when you could use Bobby, Timmy, Mikey, Geoffy or any number of other "real life actors." They would be much more entertaining than fake IBWO fanatics.
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