Oklahoma City University will host a screening of “Racing Extinction,” a documentary about the black market underworld of the endangered species trade, at 7 p.m. Nov. 7. The screening will include a Q&A session with environmental policy activist and professional race car driver Leilani Münter, who is featured in the film. The event is free to the public and will be held in the Sarkeys Science & Math Center at N.W. 23rd Street and Kentucky Avenue.
“Racing Extinction” examines biodiversity loss, its effect on humanity and some possible solutions for a more sustainable future. The documentary follows a team of artists and activists on an undercover operation to expose the hidden world of endangered species and the race to protect them against mass extinction. It was directed by Louie Psihoyos, who won the Academy Award for “The Cove.”
“I find myself in a race alongside other environmentalists to save a planet that is losing species at a rate not seen since a comet hit 65 million years ago,” Psihoyos said in his director’s statement. “With this project, I want to tackle the most important problem the world has ever faced — the epic loss of biodiversity.”
Münter is a biology graduate turned professional race car driver and environmental activist. Discovery's Planet Green named Leilani the #1 Eco Athlete in the world. She is a recipient of ELLE Magazine’s Genius Award and Sports Illustrated named her one of the top 10 female race car drivers in the world.
Münter races in the ARCA Series, a development league of NASCAR. She is the fourth woman in history to race in the Indy Pro Series, the development league of IndyCar. Since 2007, Münter has been adopting an acre of rainforest for every race she runs. Many of Münter's cars promote renewable energy but some are raising awareness for wildlife conservation. She drove “The Cove” race car at Daytona in 2012 and a “Blackfish” race car at Talladega Superspeedway in 2014. Münter sits on the board of advisors of The Solutions Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the transition to 100 percent renewable energy.
