Academy Awards

Academy Award® Winners

  • The Old Man and the Sea, Animated Short, 1999, Productions Pascal Blais.
  • To Be Alive!, Documentary (Short Subject), 1965, produced by Francis Thompson. This three-screen 35mm film, created for the 1964 New York World’s Fair, was a seminal event in cinema history. Thompson’s pioneering efforts in special format cinema inspired the development of the giant screen industry.

Academy Award Nominees

  • Dolphins, Documentary (Short Subject), 2000. Nominees: Greg MacGillivray and Alec Lorimore. Produced and distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films.
  • More, Short Film (Animated), 1998. Nominees: Mark Osborne and Steve Kalafer. Produced by Flemington Pictures, Bad Clams Productions, Swell Productions, and Large Format Cinema Association. Distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films.
  • Alaska: Spirit of the Wild, Documentary (Short Subject), 1997. Nominees: George Casey and Paul Novros. Produced by Graphic Films and Houston Museum of Natural  Science. Distributed by Houston Museum of Natural Science.
  • Amazon, Documentary (Short Subject), 1997. Nominees: Kieth Merrill and Jonathan Stern. Produced by Ogden Entertainment. Distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films.
  • Cosmic Voyage, Documentary (Short Subject), 1996. Nominees: Jeffrey Marvin and Bayley Silleck. Produced by Cosmic Voyage Inc. Distributed by IMAX Corporation. Distributed to 8/70 theaters by MacGillivray Freeman Films.
  • Special Effects, Documentary (Short Subject), 1996. Nominees: Susanne Simpson and Ben Burtt. Produced by NOVA/WGBH Boston. Distributed by IMAX Corporation.
  • The Living Sea, Documentary (Short Subject), 1995. Nominees: Greg MacGillivray and Alec Lorimore. Produced and distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films.
  • Fires of Kuwait,  Documentary (Feature), 1992. Nominee: Sally Dundas. Produced by Black Sun Films Ltd., a subsidiary of IMAX Corporation. Distributed by IMAX Corporation.
  • Rainbow War, Short Film (Live Action), 1985. Nominee: Bob Rogers. Produced by Bob Rogers and Company. The 5-perf/70mm film was produced for the 1986 World’s Fair, where it played on a screen over 60 feet wide.
  • The Eruption of Mount St. Helens, Documentary (Short Subject), 1980. Nominee: George Casey. Produced by Graphic Films Corporation. Distributed by National Geographic.

Academy Award® is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Canadian Society of Cinematographers

  • Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag, Best Docudrama Cinematography, 2006, cinematographer Bill Reeve

Cine International Film Festival

  • Mysteries of the Great Lakes, Golden Eagle, Professional Nonfiction Division-Science and Technology, 2009.
  • Antarctica, Golden Eagle, 1995, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry

Explorers Club Documentary Film Festival

  • Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, Best Scientific Exploration Film, 2007, The Stephen Low Company

Genie Awards

(presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television)

  • Falling in Love Again, Best Animated Short, 2003, Munro Ferguson
  • The Old Man and the Sea, Best Animated Short, 1999, Alexander Petrov, Bernard Lajoie, Tatsuo Shimamura
  • Titanica, Best Feature Length Documentary, 1993, Stephen Low, Pietro Serapiglia
  • Primitti Too Taa, Best Animated Short, 1989, Ed Ackerman
  • Graeme Ferguson, Air Canada Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Canadian Film Industry, 1986
  • Skyward, Best Short Documentary, 1986, Roman Kroiter

Golden Reel Awards

(presented by MPSE, Motion Picture Sound Editors)

  • Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, Best Sound Editing in a Special Venue Film, 2008, National Geographic
  • Deep Sea 3D, Best Sound Editing in a Special Venue Film, 2007, IMAX Corporation
  • NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience, Sound Editing in a Special Venue Film, 2005, IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros.
  • The Human Body, Best Sound Editing Special Venue Film, 2002, The Learning Channel, BBC Worldwide, Discovery Pictures, BBC, Maryland Science Center, Science Museum London

Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival

  • Sea Rex: Journey to a Prehistoric World, Best Earth Sciences Program, 2011, N3D Land Productions and Mantello Brothers Productions.
  • Flying Monsters, Best 3D Program, 2011, Atlantic Productions and National Geographic Entertainment.
  • Wild Ocean, Outstanding Achievement, 2009, Yes/No Productions and Giant Screen Films. (Recognized for its capture of complex 3D underwater footage in a treacherous and challenging geographical and marine environment.)
  • Bugs!, Special Venue Award, 2009, SK Films and Principal Large Format. Awarded to the digital 3D, 25-minute version of the film.
  • Deep Sea 3D, Best Theatrical Release, 2007, IMAX Corporation and Howard Hall Productions
  • Roar: Lions of the Kalahari, Best Editing, 2005, Tim Liversedge Productions, National Geographic
  • Aliens of the Deep, Special Consideration, 2005, Walt Disney, Walden Media, LightStorm Entertainment, Earthship Productions
  • Ocean Oasis, Best Theatrical Release, 2001, Summerhays Films
  • Africa’s Elephant Kingdom, Best Nonbroadcast, 1999, IMAX Corporation
  • Island of the Sharks, Special Jury Award of Merit, 1999, IMAX Corporation

 La Geode Film Festival

2007 La Géode 12th Annual Large Format Film Festival
Grand Prize: Roving Mars
Public’s Choice Award: Deep Sea 3D
Youth Prize: Hurricane on the Bayou

2006 La Géode 11th Annual Large Format Film Festival
Grand Prize, Youth Prize, and Public’s Choice Prize: Mystery of the Nile
Kodak Vision Award: Magnificent Desolation
Jury Honorable Mention: Wired to Win

2005 La Géode 10th Annual Large Format Film Festival
Grand Prize: Forces of Nature
Youth Prize: Roar: Lions of the Kalahari
Public’s Choice Prize: Mystic India
Kodak Vision Award: Top Speed

National Academy of Sciences

  • Roving Mars, Best Science Film, 2008, White Mountain Films and Buena Vista Pictures

OMNI Intermedia Awards

  • Mysteries of the Great Lakes, Gold Award, Nature Category, 2009; Silver Award, Documentary Category, 2009.

Park City Film Music Festival

  • Wild Ride, Gold Medal for Best Impact for Music in a Documentary, 2007, Trinity Films and Giant Screen Films

Society of Motion Picture and Televison Engineers

  • William Shaw, the John Grierson International Gold Medal Award, 1985, in recognition of his many years of research, design, and development of the IMAX camera and giant screen projection technology.
  • David Keighley, the Technicolor-Herbert T. Kalmus Gold Medal Award, 1993, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Imax 70mm print quality control and of his pioneering efforts on making high-quality Imax 70mm release prints through the interpositive/ internegative system
  • Colin Low, the John Grierson International Gold Medal Award, 1999, for his pioneering role in the use of 35mm, 70mm, IMAX, and Omnimax formats in documentary film production.

U.S. International Film and Video Festival

  • Mysteries of the Great Lakes, Certificate for Creative Excellence in the Documentary, Environmental Issues and Concerns Category, 2009.
  • Mysteries of Egypt, Golden Camera Award, 1999, National Geographic Giant Screen Films

Visual Effects Society

  • Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project, 2008. Receiving the award were Sean Phillips, Jack Geist, Robin Aristorenas, and Mark Dubeau.
  • Roving Mars, Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project, 2007. Taking home the award were Jeremy Nicolaides and Johnathan Banta of Sassoon Film Design, Alan Markowitz of Visceral Image Productions, and Dan Maas of Maas Digital.
  • Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D, Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project, 2006. The award went to Jack Geist, Sean Phillips, Johnathan Banta, and Jerome Morin. This is the first year an award is given in this category.

Western Heritage Awards

  • Wild Ride, Outstanding Documentary, 2007, Trinity Films and Giant Screen Films

Wildscreen International Wildlife and Environmental Film Festival
Best Large Format Film Award

  • Deep Sea 3D, 2006, IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Pictures
  • Bugs!, 2004, SK Films Inc. and Principal Large Format
  • Ocean Oasis, 2002, Summerhays Films
  • Alaska: Spirit of the Wild, 2000, Graphic Films, Houston Museum of Natural Science

WorldFest Houston International Film Festival

  • Mysteries of the Great Lakes, Grand Remi Award,  2009

Other Awards

In May 2006, Robert Eather of KEO Consultants is named the first recipient of the American Geophysical Union’s Athelstan Spilhaus Award for his work “designing and building one-of-a-kind instruments-including a faint-light, IMAX color camera—to capture the real-time motions of the aurora borealis and the aurora australis.” The technology was used in making the giant screen film SolarMax.