90 Minutes: Wisconsin Fossil Film Debuts at DOC NYC

Kyle Arpke’s documentary The New Extinction is set to premiere at DOC NYC, the largest documentary film festival in the United States, on November 15 and November 17.

The 90-minute film centers on two men who approach paleontology from opposite ends of the market. It follows Thomas Carr, a paleontologist at Carthage College in Kenosha, and Alan Detrich, a commercial fossil hunter from Wisconsin. Carr is working to secure funding for his program at the Dinosaur Discovery Museum using juvenile T. rex fossils he has discovered. Detrich is partnering with a museum in Kansas to display a rare T. rex specimen that he believes will reshape the field.

The project began in July 2017 when Arpke, a filmmaker originally from Cleveland, Wisconsin, was researching local paleontologists. He contacted Dr. Carr, who was the lead researcher on Tyrannosaurus Rex at the Carthage Institute of Paleontology. Their initial meeting was intended for a short promotional video. During that conversation, Carr explained that fossils found on private land in America can be sold to private collectors or at auction for millions of dollars. There is no guarantee these specimens will end up in scientific institutions. Often, they are bought by wealthy individuals, which limits the ability of scientists to study them.

Arpke and his producing partner, Jessica Knap, visited Carr’s dig site in Montana a few weeks after their first meeting. They spent several days documenting the excavation of a triceratops that was destined for the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. Following months of research and filming at various museums across the United States, the team connected with Detrich. Arpke noted that Detrich represents the commercial side of fossil recovery, a role that often creates friction with the academic community.

Arpke stated that he did not intend to cast Detrich as the antagonist. Instead, the film aims to present both sides of the ethical debate surrounding fossil sales, scientific research, and the American dream. Detrich’s methods have historically antagonized scientists, making him a natural focal point for criticism, but Arpke sought to maintain a balanced perspective throughout the production.

The screenings will be held at the historic Village East by Angelika theater in Manhattan. Online access to the film will be available from November 16 through November 29. Arpke said that distribution plans beyond the festival dates have not yet been finalized. The film features a crew that was based in Milwaukee at various points during its production.

Arpke, who is also a wildlife photojournalist, has worked as a freelance video editor, director, and commercial director of photography since graduating with a film degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He cited childhood exposure to Jurassic Park as the moment he realized stories about dinosaurs could be told through film. The New Extinction marks his first major documentary feature.

The film highlights the specific conflict between private ownership of scientific artifacts and the public interest in preserving natural history. By focusing on two specific T. rex specimens, the documentary uses these objects to illustrate the larger economic and ethical questions facing modern paleontology.