Get up close with some great white sharks

Giant Screens’ Great White Shark 3D opens at the Science North IMAX Theatre on March 3.

The film unravels the mystery of the creature we love to fear — the much maligned, misrepresented and misunderstood great white shark—and goes to the depths of human daring to tell the true story of its role atop the oceanic food chain.

Great White Shark 3D is produced by Yes/No Productions and Liquid Pictures 3D and is narrated by acclaimed stage and film actor Bill Nighy.

“Our mission is to change people’s attitudes toward the great white,” said Steve McNicholas, codirector of the film.

“It’s not the menacing, evil predator it’s made out to be. It’s simply performing its crucial role at the top of the ocean’s food chain. Great whites are not monsters any more than the polar bears or lions that we revere.”

Three years in the making, Great White Shark 3D takes viewers around the world to great white hotspots, including: the crystal clear waters of Mexico’s legendary Guadalupe Island; newly discovered shark territory around Stewart Island off the southernmost tip of New Zealand; the bone-chilling waters of South Africa’s “flying” great whites; and finally to the California coast near heavily-populated Los Angeles.

The film examines what we know about these incredible animals through the eyes of several people whose lives and work have become inextricably linked to the great white.

D.J. Roller, Producer and Director of Photography for Great White Shark 3D, says the film dazzles because his uniquely designed camera enabled him to capture much higher resolution and better slow motion underwater than ever before.

Using revolutionary high-speed, digital IMAX cameras in South Africa, filmmakers captured the great white breaching for the first time in 3D.

“We were determined to bring audiences something truly ground-breaking in a shark film,” he said. “Seeing South Africa’s ‘flying’ sharks on a giant screen in 3D is amazing.”

To gain worldwide awareness of the plight of all sharks, Great White Shark 3D has teamed with notable international conservation organizations Oceana and WildAid to educate viewers about the fate of sharks at the hands of Earth’s greatest predator of them all, humans.

“WildAid is very pleased to be associated with this film that will help us raise public awareness and educate people about the real danger to sharks.”

The stunning images and profound insight of Great White Sharks 3D illustrate the delicate balance necessary between the world’s top predator, humans, and the world’s most misunderstood creature, the Great White.

The film helps to dispel common myths and misconceptions, leaving viewers with a strong sense of respect for this amazing animal,” said Senior Manager, Visitor Services and Sales at Science North, Renée LePera.

“Visitors to Megalodon: Largest Shark That Ever Lived will gain even greater perspective as they integrate ecological and environmental themes highlighted throughout the special exhibition at Dynamic Earth with those in Great White Shark 3D.”

The Science North IMAX Theatre is located at 100 Ramsey Lake Road in Sudbury, Ontario. For information on tickets and show times, visit sciencenorth.ca/imax.

The film is family-friendly and is about 40 minutes long.