Press Release (5 page PDF)
SOCAL SNOWY OWL – PRESS RELEASE 7a.pdf
Poster
Walter Josten, Executive Producer – Bio [on BlueRiderPictures.com]
Denver Holt, Producer – Bio
Denver’s research has been published in many academic journals, he is currently the team leader for Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Snowy Owl species account, as well as an authority who has been acknowledged by the media, including a cover story for National Geographic Magazine in Dec. 2002 and featured in the New York Times in 2011. His work has been the subject of many television bits on all the major networks, as well as featured on Audubon’s Up-Close series, PBS’s Bird Watch, Disney, and David Attenborough’s Life of Birds, and the film The Magic of the Snowy Owl, among others. His research on Snowy Owls has been showcased on documentaries for National Geographic Explorer, NHK Natural History Unit of Japan, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Company Natural History Unit. His Snowy Owl research has been the focus of the British Broadcasting Company’s (BBC) documentary series, Frozen Earth, a sequel to the highly acclaimed Planet Earth series. In 2011, Denver worked closely with a PBS documentary film crew featuring the breeding ecology of the Snowy Owl at his research site in Barrow, Alaska. Denver has also been the keynote speaker for many major bird festivals in the United States and he gave a TEDxBozeman talk in 2023.
About the Owl Research Institute:
Founded by Denver Holt in 1987, the Owl Research Institute (ORI) stands as one of the most active owl research groups in the world. Their organization is reinvigorating the essence of ‘boots on the ground’ field research. For over 40 years, Denver and the ORI have been dedicated to the pursuit of in-depth and lasting studies that illuminate the enigmatic world of owls and their intricate ecology. While many wildlife biologists have gradually shifted away from fieldwork, ORI continues their determined exploration of owl habitats throughout the entire year.
ORI maintains eight major research studies, some of which have 30 to 40 years of data. Simultaneously, their younger projects, still in their infancy, offer 5 to 10 years of invaluable observations. This long-term research and monitoring allows us to decipher the rhythms of local and area-wide owl population fluctuation, empowering us to drive meaningful conservation efforts and make informed management decisions.
Christopher Angel, Director – Bio
Christopher Angel is a lifelong bird-watcher and graduate of Yale University and the University of Southern California School of Cinema. He won a student Academy Award for his film, “Mr. October,” and was nominated for an Emmy for his work for director James Cameron on the feature documentary “Expedition Bismarck”. He has directed five feature films and recently completed the screenplay adaptation of Thomas Keneally’s (“Schindler’s List”) book about Africa, “To Asmara”. He is currently adapting Stanford Professor Peter Stanksy’s seminal biography of George Orwell as a feature film screenplay.
Director Statement:
Last December, I read in the national newspapers that a rare snowy owl had arrived in Southern California. I am a lifelong birdwatcher, who finds magic and peace in these amazing small creatures who can fly through the sky. But I had never seen a snowy owl before. On January 2nd, after a New Year’s bird-watching walk at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, I drove to Cypress with my 11-year-old son to look for the owl. Having been disappointed before by wild animals proving to be impossible to find, I stopped the first person I saw who was carrying a large camera. When I asked for directions to the owl, the man laughed, and said to go around the corner and park and I would see. I followed his directions, to find two hundred people in the street, looking up at the bird on a roof.
The owl was a star. She had transfixed the neighborhood. And she transfixed my son and I. She was beautiful and inspiring – this powerful predator and visitor from the arctic. Then, a short while after, I received a phone call from producer Walter Josten, with whom I had collaborated previously on researching a biopic feature film about John James Audubon. Walter was looking for a filmmaker to create a documentary about the owl. It was kismet!
This documentary is as much about people as it is about the owl. This bird touched an entire community in unexpected ways. We zero in on three residents whose lives were changed by the owl. The owl represents to me why we need to conserve nature and wildlife. It gives us perspective and meaning that can change how we live.
Contact Info
For additional info, please contact:
Roy Rausch
royrausch@yahoo.com
Behind the Scenes Gallery (click for high-res image)
