 A Tortoise Called Pumpkin Spice captures the moving story of a successful wildlife rescue. As viewers follow the tale of Pumpkin Spice, a young gopher tortoise, they discover how scientists are working to ensure the survival of this important keystone species in the American Southeast. A Tortoise Called Pumpkin Spice takes viewers on a fascinating journey, from longleaf forests to a gopher tortoise hatchery. The film features scientists and experts from Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Division and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.  Director Laura Albritton https://www.magickumquatproductions.com Laura Albritton directed and edited A Tortoise Called Pumpkin Spice. Her previous nature conservation film, Longleaf Forever, won the 2024 Best North America Short at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival. Laura also won a 2023 Suncoast EMMY for her work as the writer on the public television documentary, The Florida Keys: 200 Years of Paradise, which has aired on 249 stations nationally. She wrote and edited the wildlife documentary, Introducing the Indigo, which won a Silver Medal for Short Documentary at the Atlanta Children's Film Festival. Working with her filmmaking partner, Zickie Allgrove, she's currently in production with the documentary Devouring Beauties: The Remarkable Pitcherplants. Laura is the author of five books and works remotely for the University of Miami's Writing Studies department. Before attending graduate school, she worked for Vanguard Documentaries and distinguished Black film producer Charles Hobson in New York.
Director Statement I became really fascinated by gopher tortoises, a keystone species, while working on other nature films with my filmmaking partner, Zickie Allgrove. We talked about making a gopher tortoise documentary film that would focus on the importance of these remarkable reptiles. But there were so many elements that seemed important to convey: why gopher tortoises play an essential role for the survival of over 300 other species; the efforts to rescue not only mature tortoises but also eggs; the headstarting programs to give juvenile tortoises a better chance at survival; gopher tortoise mortality in the first year of life – to mention only some of the issues. The question was, how could we approach the subject of gopher tortoises from an original angle? The concrete idea for a short documentary didn’t really crystallize until I heard Pumpkin Spice’s story. I was genuinely moved by this wildlife rescue, and all the steps involved in the journey. When I began to learn about the specific work involved in gopher tortoise conservation, I knew that this was a subject that audiences could connect with... |
All Access Passes On Sale NOW here:
|
