Press Release
DOLPHINS Splashes onto the
Giant IMAX® Screen This Summer at Fernbank Museum
Back by Popular Demand, Dolphins Dives Underwater for a Stunning Adventure
ATLANTA—Some films are so popular, people scramble to buy the DVD so they can watch it any time they want. And then there are blockbuster IMAX® films. A TV screen just doesn’t do these large-format pictures justice. Dolphins, one of the most popular films ever shown at Fernbank Museum of Natural History, may be available for home viewing, but seeing it on the giant screen is a totally different experience. And that makes its return to the IMAX® screen an exciting occasion for film lovers.
After years of requests by Museum patrons, Dolphins returns to Fernbank’s IMAX® schedule on June 3, 2006, transporting audiences from the wind-swept seas of Patagonia to the coral reefs of the Caribbean as the camera swims alongside playful, wild dolphins. Encountering dolphins in the wild on a five-story tall screen is the closest thing to being there in person—an opportunity most people will never get.
“This is a great summer film for families,” Fernbank biologist Heather Heimmer said. “It appeals to all ages and leaves audiences with smiles on their faces, which is one reason we have received so many requests to bring the film back to our IMAX® schedule.”
Imagine floating in the crystalline, turquoise waters of the Bahamas. Sunlight dances off the rippled, white sand banks. Swimming alongside you are some of the most graceful and extraordinary creatures on earth. While few of us will ever have the chance to encounter a dolphin in the wild, audiences feel like they are swimming right alongside these lively creatures when they view Dolphins.
Narrated by Pierce Brosnan with music by Sting, Dolphins delves into the ocean to capture the untamed behavior of these charming mammals in the open sea as the film explores their phenomenal communication abilities.
“It’s difficult to put into words what makes dolphins so appealing,” Heimmer said. “But when we see dolphins playing, cooperating and vocalizing with one another, we can’t help but realize that they are exceptional creatures.”
Studying and filming elusive, fast-moving animals in the ocean is a challenging task, but young marine biologist Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski and her two colleagues, mentor Dr. Bernd Würsig and Dr. Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez, research wild dolphins using innovative scientific methods and engaging technology. From rarely seen fish-herding behavior to a close up of their complex communication activities, Dolphins gives audiences a fascinating new perspective on the lives of dolphins and their remarkable intelligence.
Although most of what we know about dolphins comes from studying them in captivity, Dudzinski and her colleagues conduct their research with wild dolphins, a far more strenuous, time-consuming and dangerous endeavor.
The film also explores the dolphin-human bond. Fernbank audiences will be intrigued by the relationship between JoJo, a rare lone dolphin in the Turks & Caicos Islands and his friend, naturalist Dean Bernal. Dean and JoJo have saved each other’s lives on more than one occasion; their story will stir audiences with the beauty and intrigue of interspecies communication.
Susan Neugent, Fernbank Museum’s President and CEO, said the film not only provides stunning images of the natural world and showcases the latest scientific research from under the ocean, but also provides an important message.
“This film is at the very heart of many of the environmental issues that face us today,” Neugent said. “We feel it is an important part of our mission to continue to inform the public about the natural world.”
In the spirit of IMAX® films, the filmmakers set out to create Dolphins with the goal of entertaining the viewers while educating them.
“I wanted to make a film that offered insight into these intelligent marine mammals and that revealed the wonder of their habitat, the ocean, and our need to preserve it,” said director and producer Greg MacGillivray.
Dolphins is produced and distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films, producer of the Academy-Award® nominated The Living Sea and the box-office hit Everest, in association with the National Wildlife Federation, the nation’s largest member-supported conservation group. Dolphins was nominated for a 2000 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject. Major funding was provided by the National Science Foundation and Museum Film Network.
Dolphins shows daily in the IMAX® Theatre from June 3-October 2006* at Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Fernbank is located at 767 Clifton Road in Atlanta. Free parking is available. IMAX® tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for students/seniors and $8 for children ages 12 and younger. Call 404.929.6400 for tickets.
*Closing date is not confirmed at this time.
Readers can visit Fernbank’s Web site for show times at
www.fernbankmuseum.org
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Quick Details:
- Dolphins shows daily at Fernbank Museum’s IMAX® Theatre from June 3-October 2006*. (*Closing date is not confirmed at this time.)
- Run time for Dolphins is 41 minutes.
- Fernbank Museum of Natural History and the Rankin M. Smith, Sr. IMAX® Theatre are located at 767 Clifton Road, NE in Atlanta.
- IMAX® ticket prices are $10 for adults, $9 for students/seniors, $8 for children 12 and younger, and $6 for Fernbank members.
- Tickets are available in advance by calling 404.929.6400. General information, including directions and current Museum programs, is available at 404.929.6300.
- In addition to Fernbank’s Web site at www.fernbankmuseum.org, information about the film can be found at www.dolphinsfilm.com.