May 23, 2022—MacGillivray Freeman Films (MFF) today announced that actress Joelle Carter will narrate the company’s latest giant screen film release, Secrets of the Sea, a co-production from Howard Hall Productions and Oceanic Research Group, slated for release to IMAX® and giant-screen theaters starting June 8 on World Oceans Day.

Secrets of the Sea is the latest underwater giant screen documentary from internationally acclaimed filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall, following their previous blockbuster ocean hits Into the Deep, Island of the Sharks, Deep Sea 3D and Under the Sea 3D, which combined have grossed more than $250 million at the worldwide box office. For Secrets of the Sea, the Halls partnered with award-winning filmmaker Jonathan Bird, whose giant-screen film Ancient Caves was released to critical acclaim by MFF in 2020 and who is the producer and host of the Emmy® Award-winning series Jonathan Bird’s Blue World.

With the same spectacular underwater cinematography that fans of the Halls and Bird have come to expect, Secrets of the Sea takes viewers into the ocean to show the astonishing ways marine species interact with each other and their environment, demonstrating the critical importance of marine biodiversity to maintaining healthy oceans. Filmed in more than 16 locations around the world, from Tahiti to Mexico to the Philippines to California, the film features animal behavior rarely, if ever, captured on film such as the unique way dugongs and remoras interact with one another and the spawning rituals of squid and parrotfish. A stunning visual celebration of marine life with an inspiring message about protecting our oceans, Secrets of the Sea also features a powerful score from renowned giant screen film composer Alan Williams.

Jonathan Bird and Joelle Carter

“Secrets of the Sea introduces audiences to a new cast of strange and wondrous sea creatures and marine life that reveal just how truly magnificent and extraordinary the ocean world really is,” said director and producer Howard and Michele Hall. “Joelle’s warm and melodious narration adds a touch of joy and magic to the film, made all the more meaningful because of her strong commitment to ocean conservation.”

“Secrets of the Sea features more than 70 different marine species filmed in 16 locations around the world, and is jam packed with spectacular visuals and unique and fascinating animal behaviors,” said director Jonathan Bird. “Families and kids will love seeing all the animals, from tiny krill to giant blue whales, and will marvel at how so much of the ocean’s sea life works together symbiotically with one another.”

“Howard and Michele and Jonathan are passionate filmmakers whose spectacular ocean films have helped set the standard for introducing audiences to the ocean’s many mind-boggling animals in their natural habitat,” said Joelle Carter. “I’m proud to help bring this incredible underwater world to global audiences and to encourage all viewers everywhere to care about the importance of keeping our oceans healthy.”

Joelle Carter is best known for her role in the television series Justified on FX, which earned her a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Joelle has been featured in a number of films and television shows including American Pie 2, Jessabelle, The Ugly Truth, High Fidelity, Inconceivable, Dirty John and most recently in the Apple+ TV series, Home Before Dark. In addition to acting in television and film, Joelle has taken her turn behind the camera as a co-producer of the award-winning documentary Altered by Elvis. She will appear in the upcoming feature film The Hill with Dennis Quaid.

Secrets of the Sea is a MacGillivray Freeman Films presentation of a film by Howard & Michele Hall and Jonathan Bird. http://secretsoftheseamovie.com

About Howard Hall Productions
Howard and Michele Hall own and operate Howard Hall Productions, a natural history film production company specializing in marine wildlife and marine conservation films for television and giant-screen theatres. Best known for their underwater IMAX® films, the two have worked together for more than 30 years to direct and produce some of the most notable underwater films to date, including the first underwater IMAX 3D feature Into the Deep, Island of the Sharks, Deep Sea 3D, which was awarded Best Picture at the Giant Screen Cinema Association Achievement Awards and Best Large Format Film at Wildscreen, and Under the Sea 3D, which won best cinematography at the Giant Screen Cinema Association Achievement Awards. Together, their giant screen films have grossed more than $250 million at the worldwide box office. Between them, Howard and Michele have won seven Emmy Awards  http://www.howardhall.com/

About Oceanic Research Group
Oceanic Research Group, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the conservation of the oceans through education. Founded in 1990 with a series of marine science films specifically for use in the classroom, the company has expanded into teacher education, scholarships and the Emmy Award®-winning marine science program Jonathan Bird’s Blue World, which began on public television and transitioned to YouTube in 2012. Secrets of the Sea is the company’s third giant-screen film following the critically acclaimed giant-screen documentaries Ancient Caves and Astronaut: Ocean to Orbit. www.oceanicresearch.org and www.blueworldTV.com

About MacGillivray Freeman Films
MacGillivray Freeman Films is the world’s foremost independent producer and distributor of giant screen 70mm films with more than 45 films for IMAX® and giant screen theaters to its credit. Throughout the company’s 50-year history, its films have won numerous international awards including two Academy Award® nominations for The Living Sea and Dolphins and three films inducted into the IMAX Hall of Fame, including Everest, the highest grossing giant screen film of all time. MacGillivray Freeman’s films are known for their artistry and celebration of science and the natural world. It is the first documentary film company to reach the one-billion-dollar benchmark for worldwide box office. https://macgillivrayfreeman.com/