Local Film Maker Premieres New IMAX® Film, Ancient Caves, on the Giant Mugar Omni Theater Screen at Museum of Science, Boston

Museum Hosts New England Premiere of Cinematic Adventure on the Region’s Only Domed IMAX® Screen

BOSTON, MA The Museum of Science, Boston, today announced the opening of the majestic IMAX® film Ancient Caves at the Mugar Omni Theater. Directed by Emmy Award®-winning underwater cinematographer and New England native Jonathan Bird, the film brings science and adventure together, telling the story of how scientists investigate Earth’s climate history by studying ancient cave formations in the world’s most hidden realms. Ancient Caves will open at the Mugar Omni Theater on Friday, October 1, with a special screening with Bird himself. Tickets are available now at mos.org.

“We are thrilled to screen Ancient Caves in our newly digitized Mugar Omni Theater,” said Danielle LeBlanc, director of immersive theaters and programs at the Museum of Science. “With its mind-blowing, panoramic views of the most hidden places on Earth, this film was made to be seen on the Omni’s five-story high, dome screen. I am particularly excited to welcome director Jonathan Bird, a New England native, back to Boston to tell this moving story of how our planet was formed.”

Bird, who has specialized in documentary and underwater film production for more than 30 years, was inspired to make an IMAX® film after watching films on the giant screen of the Mugar Omni Theater.

“The Mugar Omni Theater at the Museum of Science is my home IMAX screen,” said Bird. “I’ve always known I wanted to make a film that took advantage of the theater’s unique, expansive domed screen. I’m honored to bring this film home to Boston. I hope audiences will walk away with a greater sense of how climate was pivotal in the Earth’s formation and continues to be a key factor in its survival.”

Ancient Caves follows paleoclimatologist Dr. Gina Moseley on a mission to unlock the secrets of the Earth’s climate in the most unlikely of places: caves. Until recently, scientists had no reliable way to accurately study the climate of Earth’s distant past. Moseley and her team of cave explorers travel the world exploring vast underground worlds in search of stalagmite samples - geologic “fingerprints” - that reveal clues about the planet’s climate history. Their quest leads them to some of the world’s most remote caves, both above and below the water, in France, Iceland, the Bahamas, the U.S., and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

Ancient Caves is narrated by Emmy Award®- winning actor Bryan Cranston and features music composed and arranged by Emmy Award®- winning composer Bruce Zimmerman and the prestigious City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The film is produced by Oceanic Research Group Films with support from the Giant Dome Theater Consortium and distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films. The family-friendly 40-minute film will open Friday, October 1 at the Mugar Omni Theater. Tickets are available at mos.org/explore/omni/ancient-caves.

For more information on the film, please visit ancientcavesfilm.com.

About Oceanic Research Group

Oceanic Research Group, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the conservation of the oceans through education. It primarily produces educational content aimed at students and teachers. Founded in 1990 with a series of marine science films specifically for use in the classroom, the company has expanded into teacher education, scholarships and the Emmy Award®-winning marine science program Jonathan Bird’s Blue World, which began on public television and transitioned to YouTube in 2012. Ancient Caves is Bird’s first film for exhibition in IMAX® and giant screen theaters.  www.oceanicresearch.org   www.blueworldTV.com

About Giant Dome Theater Consortium

The Giant Dome Theater Consortium is an alliance of seven U.S. science museums all operating giant dome theaters like the IMAX Laser Dome Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The consortium supports the production of educational films for exhibition in IMAX® and giant screen theaters. Its members are the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Saint Louis Science Center, the Cincinnati Museum Center, Boston Museum of Science, the Fleet Science Center in San Diego, Discovery Place in Charlotte, and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The consortium has participated in the production of six giant screen films including National Parks Adventure released in conjunction with the Centennial Celebration of the National Park Service.

About MacGillivray Freeman Films

MacGillivray Freeman Films is the world’s foremost independent producer and distributor of giant-screen 70mm films with 45 films for IMAX® and giant screen theaters to its credit. Throughout the company’s 50-year history, its films have won numerous international awards including two Academy Award® nominations and three films inducted into the IMAX Hall of Fame. MacGillivray Freeman’s films are known for their artistry and celebration of science and the natural world. It is the first documentary film company to reach the one-billion-dollar benchmark for worldwide ticket sales. macgillivrayfreemanfilms.com