Past the Painted Desert, however, captures three distinguished paleontologists on a unique journey of discovery through Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. Chicago filmmaker Jay Meyers follows Robin L. Whatley, PhD, Columbia College Chicago; Bill Amaral, micro-preparator, retired from Harvard University; and Anna K. Behrensmeyer, PhD, research curator from the National Museum of Natural History and others through the Painted Desert’s ancient channels now filled with sediment and atop its highest ridges. There they find 37 new fossil sites - some as old as 208 million years. To capture the stories of personal and paleontological discovery, Meyers uses split screen shots and “keyhole” frames that allow viewers to feel as if they’re discovering something special alongside the film’s subjects. This isn’t just a movie for paleontologists. It’s a film for anyone stepping outside their comfort zone to find clues to the life they’re living - while learning more about themselves along the way.