''The Chances of the World Changing'' is a 2006
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
[''The Chances of the World Changing'' Official Site]
accessed 01-13-2010 about
Richard Ogust's efforts to save
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...
species from
extinction
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
. It was directed and produced by
Eric Daniel Metzgar (Merigold Moving Pictures) and produced by
Nell Carden Grey (Pigeon Post Pictures). Other credits include
Eric Liebman (original music),
Noe Venable
Noe Venable (born April 20, 1976 in San Francisco, California) is an experimental folk/pop singer-songwriter. She has earned a loyal fan base in her native San Francisco, in part through frequently performing in small, intimate venues. Her advo ...
(additional music and voice-over engineer), and
Faun Fables (contributor of the song "Live Old").
The film follows Ogust's efforts to establish a "
Noah's ark
Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in ...
," or
sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...
and
research institute, in order to preserve the animals until such time that they can be returned to their
natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s, which are being wiped out by
ecological
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
destruction and
poaching
Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights.
Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...
- the problem that conservation biologists have dubbed "the Asian turtle crisis".
A Conversation at the Museum of Natural History
filmmaker Eric Daniel Metzgar, the creator of the film The Chances of the World Changing, talks to George Amato, the director of conservation genetics at the American Museum of Natural History about turtle conservation and the relationship between evolution and extinction
''Chances'' premiered at the 2006 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and was aired on the Public Broadcasting Service series P.O.V.
''POV'' (also written ''P.O.V.'') is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) public television series which features independent nonfiction films. ''POV'' is an initialism for ''point of view''.
''POV'' is the longest-running showcase on television ...
beginning July 17, 2007. It was also nominated for the Axium Truer Than Fiction Award as part of the 2007 Independent Spirit Award
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...
s.
Notes
External links
''The Chances of the World Changing''
at Independent Spirit Award
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...
s
''The Chances of the World Changing''
at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
''The Chances of the World Changing''
at Public Broadcasting Service
*
2006 films
2006 in the environment
POV (TV series) films
Documentary films about nature
2006 documentary films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
{{nature-documentary-film-stub