Return of the Cicadas, An Educational Documentary About 17-Year Periodical Cicadas

Filmmaker Samuel Orr is working on an hour-long documentary about 17-year periodical cicadas, and has already completed a short educational video about the insect’s life cycle titled “Return of the Cicadas.” Orr is currently seeking funding to finish the remainder of the project on Kickstarter. He anticipates the film will be released and broadcast on PBS in 2014.

Cicadas are among the most fascinating insects, and the 17-year periodical cicadas are the most interesting of all. Transported from the past, they bubble up from the ground in otherwise sedate suburban yards and parks. At this moment, billions of them are emerging along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, from North Carolina to Connecticut. They can be found in and around Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York City. This is one of if the largest outbreaks of insects on Earth, with trillions due to appear over the next month.

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