August 30, 2017—D3D Cinema (D3D) is pleased to announce that it is expanding staff and doubling its Philadelphia-area office footprint in preparation for and response to upcoming Laser CineDome projection upgrades, Cinéfolio’s museum network growth, expansion of D3D Post Services and the accelerating deployment of the new Birdly VR product.

August 22, 2017—From the Washington Post: "At the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, visitors can go on an adventure through the Amazon. They can walk the purple mountain majesties of America’s national parks, and they can even travel back to the Cretaceous period and see dinosaurs come to life. That’s all thanks to the museum’s Samuel C. Johnson Imax Theater. On Oct. 1, after 18 years, it will all shut down...In short, it seems the Museum of Natural History just isn’t that interested in Imax. And that’s a shame." Read the full Washington Post editorial here. 

August 21, 2017—The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation held the grand opening of the new, state-of-the-art giant-screen Medal of Honor Theater at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and premiered their new signature film, We, The Marines, on July 22. The theater and film opened on July 23 at 10:00am.

August 21, 2017—A whopping 25 movie crews will be positioned along the path of totality today to photograph the historic solar eclipse for an upcoming IMAX large format documentary about Albert Einstein, with a working title of Einstein’s Incredible Universe, from director Daniel Ferguson and production company Cosmic Picture. Read the full article from The Hollywood Reporter here. 

 

August 21, 2017—Filmmaker Taran Davies (Journey to Mecca, Jerusalem) has written an op-ed about the decision to tear down the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History Johnson IMAX Theater and replace it with cafeteria space: "The Johnson IMAX Theater is a national gem that fulfills the Smithsonian’s educational mission about our rare and beautiful world, and the irony now is that it, too, needs saving. Without it, there will be no other theater of any kind–let alone one with the impact of IMAX–in our nation’s capital dedicated to connecting people, and especially youth, to history, culture and nature. With 25 million visitors to Washington, D.C., every year, is the best we can offer them a tray of fast food? Do our children really need less education and more calories?" Read the full article here.

August 18, 2017—Giant Screen Films is pleased to announce a collaboration with the Giant Dome Theater Consortium (GDTC) on the upcoming release of Cuba, a groundbreaking giant screen documentary set for worldwide release on May 18, 2018. The GDTC is comprised of seven leading museums across the United States: the Science Museum of Minnesota; the Cincinnati Museum Center; Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago; Discovery Place, Inc., Charlotte; Museum of Science, Boston; Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, San Diego; and the St. Louis Science Center.

August 2, 2017—Veteran giant-screen filmmaker George Casey died on June 3 at the age of 84. His career in GS films spanned four decades, during which he produced nine films, directed eight, and wrote six. 

The Eruption of Mount St. Helens! (1980) was the first GS film to be nominated for an Academy Award. He also gleaned Oscar nominations for Alaska: Spirit of the Wild (1998) and two earlier specialty films. James Hyder has generously allowed us to reprint the tribute to George Casey that he wrote for the Summer 2017 issue of LF Examiner.  

August 2, 2017—On Aug. 21, the total solar eclipse will cross the continental United States for the first time in 39 years, and IMAX cameras will be there to capture the historic event in all its glory. Daniel Ferguson, a documentary filmmaker with Cosmic Picture, will direct the documentary Einstein’s Incredible Universe (working title). According to Ferguson, the effort will include multiple crews in seven states, including aerial footage shot in Wyoming. Additionally, the film will include footage from specialist eclipse chasers and photographers from around the world to provide additional shots for the eclipse sequence, Ferguson says. Read the full article from University of Wyoming here.