Flock of Dodos
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| Flock of Dodos | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Randy Olson |
| Written by | Randy Olson |
| Running time | 84 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
Flock of Dodos is a documentary film by American evolutionary biologist and filmmaker Randy Olson. It highlights the debate between proponents of the concept of intelligent design and the scientific establishment that supports evolution.
The documentary was first screened publicly on February 2, 2006 in Kansas, where much of the public controversy on intelligent design began, and which was the starting point of discussion in the documentary. Other public screenings followed in universities including Harvard University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook marking the celebration of Charles Darwin's birthday.
[edit] Synopsis
Flock of Dodos humorously examines the debate between proponents of the concept of intelligent design and the scientific establishment that supports evolution. The evolutionary famous dodo (Raphus cucullatus) is a now extinct bird that lived on the Island of Mauritius, which is approximately 500 miles east of Madagascar. Portuguese sailors arrived on the island and the dodo was hunted to extinction, known for its stupidity because of its lack of fear of humans and lack of flight. The dodo failed to change with an evolving environment, which ultimately led to the birds demise.
The film attempts to determine who the dodos are in a constantly evolving world, the scientific community who is failing to promote evolution as a scientifically accepted fact or the intelligent design advocates who to the scientists are known as dodos. While Randy Olson ultimately sides with the scientific view of evolution, he gives light equally to both sides of the argument, giving air time to Intelligent Design proponent Michael Behe and several of his colleagues.
[edit] Release
The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, in April 2006, and since then has played at Film Festivals all over the U.S. and abroad. The documentary will be shown in Museums and Universities as part of a "Dodos Darwin Day" event, celebrating Charles Darwin's birthday, on or around February 12th, 2007. Flock of Dodos: the Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus will be released to television and DVD shortly thereafter in the Spring of 2007.
