Science North is the second largest science centre in Canada and the only one in the world with an in-house IMAX production team. IMAX, short for image maximum, is just that – a film shown on a giant screen.
The Science North production team has made four films. The latest, Mysteries of the Great Lakes, will debut at a gala in Sudbury on May 3. Now, thanks to $400,000 in funding from FedNor, Science North will also distribute the films it produces. The money generated will come back to northern Ontario and be used to make even more films.
“Science North is the jewel in the crown of science centres,” said FedNor Minister Tony Clement. “They’re looking after the home fires of tourism. They’re also getting involved in entrepreneurial activity.”
Science North hopes to lease Mysteries of the Great Lakes to 70 theatres including those in Toronto, Ottawa, Cleveland, Erie, Detroit, St. Louis and Cincinnati, said Guy Labine, director of business development. Part of the job of a distributor is to help theatres market the films. One of the most important marketing tools is the trailer, a two-minute film showing highlights of the actual movie, said Brenda Tremblay, who’ll direct the distribution unit.
Mysteries of the Great Lakes, produced and directed by David Lickley, celebrates the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world and cries for its protection, says marketing material provided with the film. Audiences will enjoy breathtaking scenery as they travel from one end of the great lakes to the other, diving down on the Slate Islands and Presqu’ile Provincial Park.
An earlier film, Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees, won best film for lifelong learning from the Giant Screen Theatre Association.
Visit sciencenorth.ca for more information on the May 3 gala.
