Films to Consider for Dome Day Monday, September 23, 2024 at McWane Science Center

Film Asteroid Quest
Release Date 4th Quarter 2024
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital, DCI Compliant Laser/Digital
Length: 40 minutes
Producer Saint Thomas Productions
Distributor Saint Thomas Productions
Director Bertrand Loyer
Contact Bertrand Loyer, b.loyer@saint-thomas.net
Film Description Since the beginning of the century, four unmanned missions have been sent to asteroids. They aim to analyze the composition and behavior of these celestial bodies that have remained relatively unchanged since the creation of our solar system. These time capsules contain precious information about the original ingredients that formed our planet. Asteroids could help scientists answer the fundamental question: How did life appear on Earth?

The first missions revealed that most asteroids were accumulations of rocks rather than solid blocks, the result of a huge game of celestial snooker. Soon, scientists realized the necessity of bringing back samples from asteroids. These samples would need to be contained in hermetically sealed vessels that could survive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. This technological challenge tests the nerves of space probe operators who must orchestrate and program the movements of space craft from a distance of several hundred million miles away.

Film The Blue Angels
Release Date May 17, 2024
Presentation Film has been customized for the Dome
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital
Length: 40 minutes and 90 minutes
Producer Bad Robot
Distributor IMAX Entertainment
Director Paul Crowder
Contact Gina Glen, gglen@imax.com
Film Description Soar with The Blue Angels in a brand-new documentary featuring never-before-seen footage that chronicles a year with the Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron—from selection through the challenging training and demanding show season—showcasing the extraordinary teamwork, passion, and pride that fuels America’s best, the Blue Angels.
Film Blue Whales: Return of the Giants
Release Date May, 2023
Presentation Film has been customized for the Dome
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome;
Length: 45 minutes 23 seconds; Short version also available for distribution
Producer SK Films, Oceanic Films, HHMI-Tangled Bank Studios, California Science Center
Distributor SK Films
Director Hugh Pearson
Contact Amber Hawtin, ahawtin@skfilms.ca
Website https://bluewhalesfilm.com/
Film Description Blue Whales are the largest animal that has ever lived, bigger than any dinosaur. Once on the verge of extinction, these gentle giants have returned. They are supreme wanderers, roaming every ocean from the Gulf of California’s vibrant waters to the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean. Join an adventure of a lifetime where no scientists have explored before and discover a long-lost Blue Whale pod. Learn how they communicate with each across vast distances and how they are vital to the health of our oceans. What the expedition reveals will astonish you. Narrated by award-winning actor Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars) with a powerful score by Academy-Award winner Steven Price (Gravity), experience Blue Whales for the first time, life-size on the giant screen.
Additional information Executive Producer: Jared Lipworth, Sean B. Carroll, Wendy MacKeigan
Producer: Producer: Hugh Pearson. Supervising producer: Myles Connolly
Narrator: Andy Serkis
Other Credits: Postproduction by OnSight. Supported by the National Science Foundation
Film Title: Butterfly Journey
Screening First Screening of a New Film
Presentation
Release Date July 1, 2024
Formats IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome; 8K
2D/3D 2D and 3D
Length 40 minutes
Producer Stranger than Fiction Films and Definition Studios
Distributor K2 Studios
Director PAUL PHELAN
Contact Mark Kresser, mark_kresser@k2communications.com
Website https://www.butterfliesmovie.com
Film Description Beautiful, delicate yet unbelievably resilient, the butterfly is one of nature’s most enigmatic creatures. A story of adaptation and survival, we follow the vast migrations of the Blue Tigers of Australia and the Monarchs of North America and Mexico.

With the help of cutting edge slow-motion, drone and macro filming techniques, we see the butterflies’ tiny world in immaculate detail as they overcome the challenges of metamorphosis and migration, fly thousands of kilometers and as high as 3300 meters. Butterfly Journey reveals our interconnected and awe-inspiring world on the giant screen, through the eyes of the butterflies. Yet what fate awaits them when the fine-tuned climates they intimately know suddenly shift?

Film Cities of the Future
Release Date February 16, 2024
Presentation Film has been customized for the Dome
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome;
Length: 40 minutes
Producer MacGillivray Freeman Films
Distributor MacGillivray Freeman Films
Director Greg MacGillivray / Shaun MacGillivray
Contact Patty Collins, pcollins@macfreefilms.com
Website https://citiesofthefuturefilm.com/
Film Description Imagine stepping 50 years into the future and finding smart cities designed to be totally sustainable. Renewable energy is our primary power source, solar energy beamed down from space powers entire cities 24 hours a day, and we travel on aerial highways in pods that run on little to no energy. We can also ride an electric flying vehicle! Traffic jams are a thing of the past. This isn’t science fiction. Engineers are making plans for a sustainable world right now–and it’s coming to the giant screen! Narrated by award-winning actor John Krasinski, Cities of the Future is produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films in association with the American Society of Civil Engineers, the same award-winning team that brought you Dream Big: Engineering Our World.
Film Title: Coral Sea: A Turtle Tale
Screening First Screening of a New Film
Presentation
Release Date October 1a, 2024
Formats IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome; 8K
2D/3D 2D and 3D
Length 40 minutes
Producer Definition Studios
Distributor K2 Studios
Director Matt Tomaszewski
Contact Mark Kresser, mark_kresser@k2communications.com
Website
Film Description Legend has it that the islands of the Coral Sea are built on the back of a giant sea turtle. This is a world where the ebbs and flows of life are made of the turquoise sea and the lush jungle. Saltwater runs through the veins of the local people, who are deeply connected to the ocean----also some of the most important sanctuaries for endangered green sea turtles in the world. Join local conservationists as they safeguard the future of green sea turtles, one tiny new hatchling at a time. As a follow up to Turtle Odyssey (narrated by Russell Crowe), this family adventure will connect you to the pulse of life in the vibrant Coral Sea, home to UNESCO World Heritage site the Great Barrier Reef.
Film Title: Elephants (WT)
Screening First Screening of a New Film
Presentation
Release Date October 1, 2024
Formats IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome; 4D, 8K
2D/3D 2D and 3D
Length 40 minutes
Producer Definition Studios
Distributor K2 Studios
Director PAUL PHELAN
Contact Mark Kresser, mark_kresser@k2communications.com
Website
Film Description Elephants are symbols of strength, power and wisdom, and they have captured our imaginations for centuries. Elephants is an epic journey across Africa’s Namibia desert, getting up close and personal with the largest land mammals on the planet. Making one of the world’s oldest desert homes, the desert elephants are one of nature’s most inspiring examples of survival and adaptation. Follow the journey of an elephant baby, Little Foot, as she learns how to elephant from her elephant family, led by a wise Matriarch. Brave the desert’s elements and use some elephant superpowers, from finding underground aquifers to foreseeing sandstorms. The film will reveal the hidden magic of a seemingly otherworldly and formidable landscape, where a cast of iconic animals from giraffes, monkeys to lions form a unique canvas of life.
Film Title Grand Canyon Adventure
Release Date January 1, 2023
Formats IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant; Fulldome
Film has been customized for the Dome Yes
Length 37 minutes 5 seconds
Producer MacGillivray Freeman Films
Distributor MacGillivray Freeman Films
Director Greg MacGillivray
Contact Patty Collins, pcollins@macfreefilms.com
Website https://macgillivrayfreeman.com/project/grand-canyon-adventure-3d/
Film Description Narrated by Academy Award winner Robert Redford and featuring songs by Grammy Award-winning Dave Matthews Band, Grand Canyon Adventure takes viewers on an exhilarating whitewater expedition down America’s most iconic river, the Colorado, as it explores the history and beauty of the canyon and the river that has shaped the destiny of the civilization that grew up around it. Originally filmed in 70mm 3D with the IMAX Solido camera, the film has been digitally remastered and re-edited to make the film’s visceral whitewater rafting scenes even more thrilling and interactive for the giant screen. Leading the expedition is celebrated anthropologist/explorer Wade Davis and Shana Watahomigie, a member of the Havasupai tribe and the first Native American to become a National Park Ranger and river guide. Together they show us the significance of this hallowed, living natural wonder and the importance of living in harmony with our natural surroundings.
Film The Heart of New England
Release Date November 8, 2023
Presentation Film has been customized for the Dome
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital
Length: 45 Minutes
Producer Cosmic Picture
Distributor Cosmic Picture
Director Daniel Ferguson
Contact Antonietta Monteleone, Antonietta@cosmicpicture.com
Website
Film Description New England is one of the world’s most iconic regions, known for its seasons and landscapes, traditions and innovations. It is also a ruggedly beautiful place born of resilience and hope.

Narrated by native New Englanders Uzo Aduba and Mindy Kaling, the film showcases the region’s trademark tenacity and hope through snapshots and perspectives of many of those who call it home: storytellers, conservationists, athletes, students, scientists, engineers, and others.

Discover what draws life here from nearly everywhere and why this tiny corner of the country has an outsized global impact that thrives through collaboration and diversity of thought. Come face-to-face with some of the most remarkable creatures inhabiting the Gulf of Maine and see how wild landscapes and fragile ecosystems – once on the brink – have the power to heal. Get a behind-the-scenes peek into what’s been called “the most innovative square mile in the country.” You’ll also get to know several runners in the Boston Marathon: a Panawahpskek mother, daughter, and grandfather telling a story of Indigenous resilience, and a dancer determined to give back to the city that saved her life.

Film Legend of the Enchanted Reef
Release Date December 1, 2022
Presentation
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital; Cosm Laser/Digital; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome
Length: 44 Minutes 57 Seconds; The Fulldome show is available in 3D and 2D; 26-min and 43-min run times.
Producer Softmachine Immersive Productions
Distributor Reef Distribution
Director Dr. Peter Popp
Contact Tina Ratterman,t.ratterman@reef-distribution.com
Website
Film Description Join energetic Shorty, intelligent Indigo, and daring sawfish Jake on a colorful coral reef adventure. After a fishing trawler devastates their reef, the trio has no choice but to set out on a quest to find a new home.

As they search the sea for a legendary reef, the friends encounter a variety of intriguing environments, from kelp forests to sunken wrecks — and even outer space! Their unforgettable journey brings them face-to-face with an octopus, dolphins, anglerfish, and other exotic creatures. Throughout their adventure, they must avoid hungry sharks, hazardous pollution, and other dangers, as they seek a reef that may be a myth.

Legend of the Enchanted Reef is filled with humor and imagination that the whole family will enjoy. The show combines entertainment and education with an important message about the impact of ocean pollution.

Film Title Otters: A Wild Family Adventure (wt) (RC)
Release Date May 1, 2025
Formats IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant; Fulldome
Dome Customized Yes
Length 40 minutes
Producer DEFINITION STUDIOS
Distributor K2 STUDIOS
Director PAUL PHELAN
Contact Mark Kresser, mark_kresser@k2communications.com
Website
Film Description
Film Shark Kingdom
Release Date October, 2024
Presentation Film has been customized for the Dome
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome; 4D, 8K
Length: 40 minutes
Producer Definition Studios
Distributor K2 Studios
Director Matt Tomaszewski
Contact Mark Kresser, mark_kresser@k2communications.com
Website www.sharkkingdomfilm.com
Film Description Shark Kingdom is an epic family adventure, revealing how the ocean's top predator uses hidden super senses to be a key player in the marine ecosystem.

Each shark species wields unique powers to help them survive and protect their diverse habitats, whether it’s a great white settling in the wild and wind-swept seas of New Zealand, whaler sharks learning to coexist with Australian fishermen, or black tip reef sharks venturing from Tahiti mangroves to the open ocean…

In some of the world’s best diving locations like the Bahamas and Cook Islands, get up close to these awe-inspiring creatures and be immersed in the larger story of our shared oceans.

Film Title: Sounds of the Ocean: A Mindful Underwater Journey
Screening First Screening of a New Film
Release Date June 1, 2024
Formats IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome
2D/3D 2D
Length 25 minutes
Producer Embodied Sounds, Inc.
Distributor Embodied Sounds, Inc.
Director Joshua Sam Miller
Contact Joshua Sam Miller, joshua@embodiedsounds.com
Website https://www.soundsoftheocean.com/
Film Description In this 25-min award-winning immersive experience, we invite you to go within yourself and connect deeply with ocean life. Sounds of the Ocean combines sounds of whales & dolphins, original music, immersive visual art and real ocean imagery to guide the audience on a mindful underwater journey. Believing in the power of peaceful activism, the project’s intention is to inspire ocean action to protect life underwater, while also helping to reduce stress in our modern society.
Winning awards such as "Best Musical Feature Film" at Dome Fest West, and the "Special Jury Selection" at Fulldome Festival, Sounds of the Ocean has been making waves around the globe.  Premiering at the UN Ocean Conference, COP 27 and COP28, our project has reached a worldwide audience in Europe, North America & the Middle East.  Featured in National Geographic Abu Dhabi, Forbes, USA Today, PBS and Impact 5.  An official UN Ocean Decade Activity and partner of UNESCO International Oceanic Commission.
Additional Information In addition to our film format, Sounds of the Ocean is also available as a live performance for performing arts centers, concert halls, schools and festivals.  The producers have written the musical score to be possible for playback on the stage for an ensemble of 1-3 artists.  The live performance includes dance performers and choreography that is synced with the picture.

Our events raise awareness by collaborating with local ocean and water conservation non-profit organizations to create positive impact through donations, community engagement and education.

Film Space: The New Frontier
Release Date January 5, 2024
Presentation Film has been customized for the Dome
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome; 8K
Length: 40 minutes
Producer Definition Studios
Distributor K2 Studios
Director DAVID DUCE, JAKE FLANNERY, DAVID GROSS
Contact Mark Kresser, mark_kresser@k2communications.com
Website https://www.spacethenewfrontier.com/
Film Description An entire generation came of age with the indescribable awe of landing on the Moon — and the ensuing Golden Age of Space has changed our world forever for the better. More than 50 years later, what is the next step for humankind? A second golden age of space has quietly dawned on us, with new hope for humanity as a spacefaring species.

In the quest to make human spaceflight accessible within in a decade, not a century, and ultimately affordable to ordinary citizens, leading innovators, entrepreneurs, engineers and daredevils are locked in a race into the unknown. From self-assembling habitats, commercial space stations, launching rockets without fuel to building the Lunar Gateway to deep space, history is in the making as we speak.

Space: The New Frontier captures a time as epic as the Giant Screen, and as real as our present moment. Come aboard: life on earth or in space will not be the same again.

Film Superhuman Body: World of Medical Marvels
Release Date April 12, 2024
Presentation Film has been customized for the Dome
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; Cosm; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome;
Length: 40 minutes
Producer MacGillivray Freeman Films
Distributor MacGillivray Freeman Films
Director Greg MacGillivray / Shaun MacGillivray
Contact Patty Collins, pcollins@macfreefilms.com
Website https://superhumanbodyfilm.com/
Film Description Superhuman Body: World of Medical Marvels takes audiences inside the wonders of the human body and the incredible breakthroughs in science and medical technologies that are changing the course of human health. Told through the inspiring stories of the researchers, scientists and everyday people behind these medical breakthroughs, Superhuman Body shows the extraordinary ways our bodies work – and how science and technology can help us to intervene when things go wrong. Narrated by Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey, Superhuman Body will inspire you, move you and empower you - you’ll be amazed by what your superhuman body can do! A MacGillivray Freeman film presented by Edwards Lifesciences and Griffin Catalyst.
Film T. Rex
Release Date June 21, 2024
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital; D3D Laser/Digital; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome
Length: 42 minutes 5 seconds; 20min version available in 2D/3D.
Producer Giant Screen Films
Distributor Giant Screen Films
Director David Clark & Andy Wood
Contact Yasmine Garcia, ygarcia@gsfilms.com
Website https://trex-film.com/
Film Description For over a hundred years dinosaurs have inspired and thrilled audiences, commanding blockbuster status in museums and at the box office. But among them towers a king—a tyrant lizard king. With leaps in CGI wizardry and revolutions in tyrannosaur paleontology over the past twenty-five years, the time has come to revisit rex in the world's prestigious museum cinemas.

Working with top tyrannosaur scientists, a coalition of natural history institutions, and pioneering paleo and visual effects artists, GSF's original giant screen production on this iconic dinosaur—and its carnivorous Cretaceous cousins—aims to be the most dazzling and accurate T. rex documentary ever made.

With hat tips to famous specimens, landmark discoveries, and wild cinematic depictions over the last century, the film will explore the interplay between speculation and evidence, and reveal how the process of science refreshes and reimagines our understanding of this legendary dinosaur.

Film Touch the Stars
Release Date 2019
Presentation Film has been customized for the Dome
Formats: IMAX Laser/Digital; Cosm Laser/Digital; DCI Compliant Laser/Digital; Fulldome format in 8K, 30fps 38-min is available. Fulldome and Flat Screen 4K, 24fps 26-min is also available.
Length: 38 Minutes
Producer Afterglow Studios, Inc.
Distributor Reef Distribution, GmbH
Director Luke Ployhar
Contact Tina Ratterman, t.ratterman@reef-distribution.com
Website
Film Description Embark on an awe-inspiring voyage through space as we celebrate the monumental achievements of robotic spacecraft in unveiling the mysteries of our solar system and beyond. From the historical Mariner and Viking missions, which offered humanity its first close-up views of other planets, to the groundbreaking Voyager expeditions that reached the outer solar system and sent back stunning images of planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and their moons, this show captures the spirit of discovery that propels our exploration of the cosmos.

Touch the Stars showcases the latest advancements in space exploration, such as the Parker Solar Probe's daring mission to “touch” the sun and the ongoing efforts to understand distant worlds like Pluto and the moons of Saturn. Through breathtaking visuals and real footage, audiences are transported alongside these spacecraft, witnessing the beauty and grandeur of celestial bodies and the technological ingenuity that makes this exploration possible.