By Kacie Svoboda
For most people, the various award shows are something watched on TV in a living room. But for some Hill City residents, the Emmy® ceremony was a personal and unbelievable experience. “Dinosaur 13,” the story of Sue — the most complete T-rex — discovered by a crew from the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research (BHI), received an Emmy® nomination for best science and technology film.
The film is based on the book “Rex Appeal” written by Peter Larson and Kristin Donnan of Hill City.
When Dinosaur 13 received an Emmy® nomination for best science and technology film, Larson and Donnan decided they would attend the awards. Larson expressed his happiness to be a part of this film and the Emmy® experience. “Todd Miller did a fantastic job selling a very complex story, and with cinematography and interviews it was a masterpiece,” he said.
Miller was one of several directors with production companies who had approached Larson and Donnan with film projects about the book, but Miller stood out due to his preparedness, talent and commitment to the story. Larson, his son Tim and Donnan drove 29 hours to New York City to show support for Miller and attend the awards ceremony at Lincoln Center on Sept. 28.
Larson did not have any expectations of winning because of the four great films that were their competition. However, Donnan said she “had a gut feeling that it just might win.”
The thrill of being part of an Emmy®-nominated film and attending the awards was pretty spectacular on its own, but the experience was capped off when “Dinosaur 13” was named the winner. Larson and Donnan joined Miller on stage to accept the award. Larson found himself overwhelmed.
“My mouth was open and I started crying on stage when Todd was talking about it (‘Dinosaur 13’),” he said.
Miller appreciated that the Hill City group made the long trek to the East Coast. “It was great to have the team together again,” Miller said. “And award shows are a lot more fun when you win!”
Both attendees described the experience as “surreal.” Donnan explained that although she had been to Lincoln Center previously and had worked behind the scenes at award shows, it was much different to be in that setting as a nominee.
“Attending the Emmy® award ceremony was an exercise in not spilling on your outfit,” she explained. “We South Dakotans don’t generally hob-nob with that crowd, so it was fun to people-watch and a little surreal to be there.”
Larson said the movie and Emmy® award win has provided wonderful exposure for BHI. Many summer visitors credited the movie as being the reason they made a point to visit the museum and its adjoined gift shop, Everything Prehistoric.
Larson believes all of Hill City and its businesses will benefit from the national attention the movie has garnered for this area. Donnan felt that Hill City is well represented by Miller and the movie. Many Hill city residents, some who had stood with BHI against the government’s seizure of Sue and prosecution of Larson, have expressed their pride in the movie.
“That means the world to us,” Donnan said. “All of us in Hill City won the Emmy® award. All of us did.”
If Miller, Larson and Donnan have a say, this will not be the end of the Sue story. In Miller’s acceptance speech. he asked attendees to please aid in Pete’s pardon request. Larson was sentenced to two years in a federal prison for taking fossils from federal land. The pardon request will go in front of President Obama in the next few months.
Larson and Donnan first published “Rex Appeal” in 2002, but the co-authors are just completing a revision of the story, which they hope will be available next year.