Wisconsin Documentary Premieres at NYC Festival Amid Fossil Market Disputes
Kyle Arpke’s 90-minute film examines the clash between academic paleontology and commercial fossil hunting in Kenosha and Montana.
By Madison Lewis ·
A 90-minute documentary centered on Wisconsin paleontology premieres this month in New York City. The film, titled The New Extinction, explores the tensions between academic research and the commercial fossil trade. Kyle Arpke, a filmmaker from Cleveland, Wisconsin, directed the project. It screens at DOC NYC on November 15 and 17. Online showings run from November 16 through November 29.
The narrative follows two central figures in the dinosaur fossil world. Thomas Carr, a paleontologist at Carthage College and the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, seeks to reinvest in his program. He recently discovered juvenile T. rex fossils to support that effort. The other figure is Alan Detrich, a commercial fossil hunter who partners with a Kansas museum. Detrich displays a rare T. rex specimen that may alter current paleontological understanding.
Arpke began the project in 2017 while researching local paleontologists. He identified Carr as the lead researcher in Tyrannosaurus Rex. Arpke initially planned a video spot to advertise the Carthage Institute of Paleontology. He met Carr at his office in Kenosha in July 2017. Carr explained that fossils dug from private U.S. land can sell for millions at auction. There is no guarantee these specimens reach academic institutions. Often, wealthy private buyers purchase them, limiting scientific access.
This realization sparked the full documentary concept. Arpke and his wife, Jessica Knap, traveled to a dig site in Montana a few weeks later. They spent several days following Carr’s excavation of a triceratops. That specimen eventually went to the Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Kenosha. Months of subsequent filming took place at various museums across the United States. During this research, the team connected with Detrich.
Arpke notes that Detrich’s methods often antagonize the scientific community. This dynamic makes it easy to view him as the film’s antagonist. Arpke stated his intention was to present both sides of the fossil sales debate. He described Detrich as representative of those who dig on private land and sell the finds. The film tracks the parallel stories of these two men.
Arpke, a freelance video editor and director, previously studied film at UW-Milwaukee. He grew up in Cleveland, Wisconsin, and cites Jurassic Park as an early inspiration. The entire production crew is from Milwaukee. Arpke called the New York screenings a point of pride for the local community. Distribution plans beyond the November festival dates have not been finalized.
The film is set at the historic village East by Angelika in Manhattan. It will be available to a wider audience via online platforms starting November 16. The documentary runs for 90 minutes. It features interviews and footage from dig sites in Montana and museums in Kansas and Wisconsin. The project highlights the modern American dream through the lens of paleontological ethics.
