Racing Extinction (2015)

A documentary that follows undercover activists trying to stave off a man-made mass extinction.

Director:

Louie Psihoyos

Writer:

Mark Monroe

Stars:

Elon Musk, Joel Sartore, Louie Psihoyos

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Louie Psihoyos	...	Self - Undercover Investigator
Heather Dawn Rally	...	Self - Undercover Investigator (voice) (as Heather Rally)
Michael Novacek	...	Self - Curator of Paleontology
Christopher W. Clark	...	Self - Johnson Senior Scientist (as Dr. Christopher W. Clark)
Kirk Johnson	...	Self - National Museum of Natural History
Ady Gil	...	Self - Protester
Shawn Heinrichs	...	Self - Marine Conservationist
Paul Hilton	...	Self - Photojournalist
Charles Hambleton	...	Self - Undercover Investigator
David Doubilet	...	Self - National Geographic Photographer
Jerry Greenberg	...	Self - Underwater Photographer
John Veron	...	Self - Former Chief Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine Science (as Dr. J.E.N. Charlie Veron)
Elizabeth Kolbert	...	Self - Author of 'The Sixth Extinction'
Synte Peacock	...	Self - National Center for Atmospheric Research
Alan Barton	...	Self - Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery

Storyline

Scientists predict we may lose half the species on the planet by the end of the century. They believe we have entered the sixth major extinction event in Earth's history. Number five took out the dinosaurs. This era is called the Anthropocene, or 'Age of Man', because the evidence shows that humanity has sparked this catastrophic loss. We are the only ones who can stop it as well. The Oceanic Preservation Society, the group behind the Academy Award® winning film THE COVE, is back for "Racing Extinction". Along with some new innovators, OPS will bring a voice to the thousands of species on the very edge of life. An unlikely team of activists is out to expose the two worlds endangering species across the globe. The first threat to the wild comes from the international trade of wildlife. Bogus markets are being created at the expense of creatures who have survived on this planet for millions of years. The other threat is all around us, hiding in plain sight. There's a hidden world that ...

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Plot Keywords:

mission | 

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Taglines:

Winning is the only option

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Genres:

Documentary | News

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anohni was one of two nominees for Best Original Song at the 2016 Academy Awards, along with composer David Lang for 'Simple Song #3' performed by Sumi Jo from the film 'Youth', who were not invited to perform their song during the awards broadcast. Because of this, Anohni boycotted the event, explaining on her website that she recognized the reason for the snub was because she 'might not sell advertising space', and that it felt like 'a sting of shame that reminded me of America's earliest affirmations of my inadequacy as a transperson' and represented 'a system of social oppression and diminished opportunities for transpeople'.

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Quotes

Stuart Pimm - Conservation Ecologist, Duke University: Each year about one in a million species should expire naturally. In the next few decades, we'll be driving species to extinction *1,000* times faster than we should be.

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Connections

References Back to the Future (1985)

User Reviews

The most important documentary to date!

With nearly half of our wildlife decimated since the 1940s, it's not hard to imagine that the natural world is in some serious trouble. The expansion of the modernized world and the overpopulation of humans has caused nature and its species' to face extinction. "Racing Extinction" is a shred of hope. It sheds light on the important issues facing nature and the thousands of animals facing extinction due to climate change, poaching, pollution, ocean acidification, hunting and fishing, and the destruction of natural habitats. This documentary interviews many knowledgeable conservationists and scientists who have solutions and hope on this subject. With magnificent footage of nature and animals and devastating footage of the destruction of nature, this documentary does a brilliant job blending the beauty and the loss of the natural world with the solutions to preserving it.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA China Hong Kong Indonesia Mexico UK Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Singing Planet

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Oceanic Preservation Society, Okeanos - Foundation For The Sea, Insurgent Docs

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color