Press Release
THE AWARD-WINNING GIANT SCREEN FILM
AFRICA: THE SERENGETI MIGRATES TO
THE WILDLIFE EXPERIENCE
DENVER-August 6, 2003- For more than six years, Africa: The Serengeti has been bringing to life the incredible story of the greatest migration of land animals anywhere on earth. More than 18 million big screen fans around the world have witnessed the great herds of wildebeests thundering across the giant screen in this award-winning film. The Wildlife Experience in Parker, Colorado is proud to announce this award-winning film as its new feature to be shown in the iWERKS Theater.
Africa: The Serengeti has been leased by more than 140 theaters worldwide and has been translated into several languages during its six years in circulation. Distributed by the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Africa: The Serengeti has won four film industry awards and has been nominated for several others. Produced by Graphic Films Corporation, a Hollywood-based film production company who worked closely with the Museum, the film was funded by local investors-a first for the Houston Museum.
The first African epic filmed in large format, Africa: The Serengeti takes viewers on a journey with more than 1.5 million animals as they travel over 500 miles across the plains of the Serengeti. It begins and ends with words delivered by the resonant voice of James Earl Jones, "There is a place on earth where it is still the morning of life and the great herds still run free."
Africa: The Serengeti is a giant screen safari into the "last great place on earth" - the Serengeti plains, a place where life and death dramas are played daily within the most important animal sanctuary on earth. A heart-pounding chorus of hooves and the sight of wildebeests as far as the eye can see, introduce the audience to the spectacle that few humans have ever witnessed, the Great Migration. The film is a tribute to those ungainly, clown-like animals as they set out on their year-long odyssey, accompanied by countless zebras and gazelles. Many have made this trip before; for the young it is their first journey, for others it could be their last.
The Great Migration takes place within the two East African nations of Tanzania and Kenya and focuses on the Serengeti/Mara ecosystem, an area of more than 18,000 square miles. While this film is an accolade to the wildebeests it is also a documentary featuring a fascinating array of animals including lions, cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, monkeys and even crocodiles.
Africa: The Serengeti will both excite and educate audiences. Elephants must eat several hundred pounds of leaves and twigs a day just to retain their ideal weight of 14,000 pounds. Hippos are more menacing than they look and there is neither malice nor remorse on the Serengeti. Predators kill to eat, and to feed their own, nothing more. Birds also play an important role in the Serengeti. The cattle egret and mottled starling feed on insects brought by the herds while elegant pink flamingos, forthright Kori Bustards, and even lanky ostriches bring their own kind of beauty to the Serengeti.
The Serengeti has also been called the cradle of humanity. One of the most famous archeological sites on earth is located in Olduvai Gorge, near the Ngorongoro Crater. Viewers will journey into the Gorge and learn of the 2 million year-old human fossil discovered there and also of the people who now call this area their home-the Maasai. They were once the most formidable warriors of East Africa but now they live the more peaceful life of tending cattle and family while still maintaining their unique customs and traditions.
Dramatic and beautiful as Africa: The Serengeti is, it is the ending that is the most touching and one that audiences will remember long after they have left the theatre. After having endured drought, starvation and numerous adversities, including the crossing of the crocodile-infested Mara River, the audience needs reassurance that life is more powerful than death. They will not be disappointed as they cheer on one wobbly little calf whom they know must rise and walk within five minutes of birth or be abandoned. After several heart-wrenching attempts, the calf finally finds his legs and trots off to join his mother, giving the much-needed affirmation that even on the great plains of the Serengeti, life is indeed more powerful than death.
Africa: The Serengeti had its world premiere at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. To date, Africa: The Serengeti has been seen in more than 140 large format theatres in 13 countries worldwide and has grossed over US$90 million. The Houston Museum of Natural Science distributes Africa: The Serengeti worldwide. Its Film Distribution Department is an industry leader in the production/distribution of large format films. As an executive producer, distributor and exhibitor, it actively seeks new films and resources for funding. Striving to educate audiences worldwide, the museum promotes education through films containing universal appeal.
Africa: The Serengeti will begin showing in the iWERKS Theater at The Wildlife Experience on September 1, 2003. For more information, please call (720) 488-3300.
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