Amazon Adventure 3D Press Kit

SK Films: Facebook/Instagram/Youtube: Amber Hawtin @AmazonAdventureFilm Director, Sales & Marketing Twitter: @SKFilms Phone: 416.367.0440 ext. 3033 Cell: 416.930.5524 Email: [email protected] Website: www.amazonadventurefilm.com

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National Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D BRINGS AN EPIC AND INSPIRATIONAL STORY SET IN THE HEART OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST TO IMAX® SCREENS WITH ITS WORLD PREMIERE AT THE SMITHSONIAN’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ON APRIL 18th.

April 2017 -- SK Films, an award-winning producer and distributor of natural history entertainment, and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, the acclaimed film production unit of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, announced today the IMAX/Giant Screen film AMAZON ADVENTURE will launch on April 18, 2017 at the World Premiere event at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The film traces the extraordinary journey of naturalist and explorer Henry Walter Bates - the most influential scientist you’ve never heard of – who provided “the beautiful proof” to Charles Darwin for his then controversial theory of natural selection, the scientific explanation for the development of life on Earth. As a young man, Bates risked his life for science during his 11-year expedition into the Amazon rainforest. AMAZON ADVENTURE is a compelling detective story of peril, perseverance and, ultimately, success, drawing audiences into the fascinating world of animal mimicry, the astonishing phenomenon where one animal adopts the look of another, gaining an advantage to survive.

"The Giant Screen is the ideal format to take audiences to places that they might not normally go and to see amazing creatures they might not normally see,” said Executive Producer Jonathan Barker, CEO of SK Films. “From a humble background, with an unstoppable passion for science and life, Bates played guitar, had a pet monkey, relied on Amazonian natives to survive and learned many of their languages, and made crucial contributions to our understanding of the natural world. He should be more widely known and we’re thrilled to introduce his remarkable story to the public.”

“Walking in the footsteps of Henry Walter Bates, audiences get to follow the clues and see one of the most important discoveries about life unfold before them scene by scene,” says Executive Producer Sean B. Carroll, of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. “Through Bates’ eyes, we see some of the first and best evidence of how and why species evolve. We hope this film, in tracing his adventures in the Amazon, shows where curiosity and perseverance can lead and inspires younger and older viewers alike.”

Filmed on location in the lush Amazon region, AMAZON ADVENTURE uses the immersive IMAX format to plunge audiences into a wild world of breathtaking beauty and captivating animal behavior. Things are not always as they seem in the jungle and audiences will be mesmerized by an array of nature’s masters of mimicry. From the makers of the immensely popular and multiple, award-winning film Flight of the Butterflies 3D, the film is directed by Mike Slee and is executive produced by Jonathan Barker and Sean B. Carroll, starring Calum Finlay as Henry Bates, written by Wendy MacKeigan and Carl Knutson and shot by cinematographers Gerry Vasbenter and Richard Kirby, with an original score by Brazilian composer

SK Films 2 April 2017 Antonio Pinto. Although filming in the Amazon was very challenging, the team constantly reminded themselves of what it must have been like for Bates, without any of the transportation and communication technologies available today.

Painstakingly researched for three years, AMAZON ADVENTURE enlisted the expertise of more than 100 scientists and historical advisors. The team’s commitment to authenticity not only resulted in this rigorous re-creation, even using actual instruments and tools from the 1850s, but the writing team also incorporated many of Bates’ own words, as he was a gifted storyteller. The film, a co-production between Canada, the UK and Brazil, was granted unprecedented access by the Natural History Museum of London to film Bates’ own scientific field notebooks and botanical drawings, and to film the butterflies he personally collected over 160 years ago – butterflies that had never left the museum, and had to go into quarantine for two weeks after filming.

Developed and produced in close collaboration with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, AMAZON ADVENTURE also received major funding from the National Science Foundation through the film’s educational outreach partner, Pacific Science Center. Other key partners include the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Simons Foundation, and Foxconn Brazil and Vale.

About SK FILMS SK Films is a Toronto-based, multi-platform entertainment content provider and a world leader in 3D film production and distribution. The company was founded in 1998 by Jonathan Barker and the late Robert Kerr, the visionary co-founder of IMAX Corporation.

About HHMI Tangled Bank Studios HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a production company established and funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as an extension of its longstanding science education mission. Dedicated to the creation of original science documentaries for broadcast, theatrical and digital distribution, the company’s award- winning programs address important contemporary issues and capture compelling stories of discovery across all branches of scientific inquiry. For more information, please visit www.tangledbankstudios.org.

About the film: AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D World Premiere: April 18, 2017 Run Time: 45 Minutes File Formats: 3D IMAX, Giant Screen, 15/70 Dome and Digital 3D Cinemas

CONTACTS For Media: For Sales & Marketing: Eddie Ward / Roslan & Campion PR Amber Hawtin / SK Films 212.966.4600 / [email protected] 416-367-0440 ext. 3033 / [email protected]

SK Films 3 April 2017

“On these expanded membranes Nature writes, as on a tablet, the story of the modification of species” –Henry Walter Bates,The Naturalist on the River Amazons (1863)

Why Make Amazon Adventure 3D?

The most fundamental reason for making Amazon Adventure 3D is to increase the public’s understanding of the concept of natural selection – the heart of evolutionary, molecular and genetic biology, with relevant implications to many aspects of modern day science and our overall understanding of how the natural world works.

The filmmakers at SK Films (SK), in partnership with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and such prestigious scientific organizations as the National Science Foundation (NSF), Pacific Science Center, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Simons Foundation and Foxconn Brazil and Vale wanted to reveal the vital and fascinating concept of natural selection in the most entertaining and powerful way, so that it would become an important part of lifelong learning for students and general audiences. Everyone agreed that the most impactful way to do this was through the incredible true story of naturalist Henry Bates and his journey, as a young man, through the heart of the Amazon rainforest in the 1850s.

Bates’ story is told like a great scientific detective mystery. The clues unfold in real time in the mesmerizing world of animal mimicry and camouflage – where things are not always what they seem. Set in the lush and bio diverse Amazon rainforest, the film showcases over 50 exotic animals. All are seen from Bates’ point of view, as he navigates inside the dense jungle, or sails on his “cuberta” boat or paddles his dugout canoe across the Amazon River and its tributaries, often with his native guide, Tando.

The filmmakers wanted audiences to relate to Henry Bates as both a scientist and a regular person. Showing Bates’ human side makes him more relatable and his science more readily followed and understood by audiences of all ages. They also wanted viewers to feel like they are right there with Bates and for audiences to experience what Bates must have gone through in the Amazon rainforest, the highs and lows of trying to find evidence that species change – like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Who is Henry Walter Bates?

Batesian Mimicry During his time in the Amazon, Henry Bates had great powers of concentration and still today he is revered as an extraordinary field biologist. He made crucial contributions to evolutionary biology by discovering the phenomenon of mimicry, now known as “Batesian mimicry,” whereby a non- poisonous species slowly and unknowingly changes into a mimic of a poisonous one, or one that gives it a better chance to survive being eaten. For example, a harmless four-inch viper caterpillar looks exactly like the head of a poisonous viper snake, which fools many birds and dragonflies into not trying to eat it for fear they might get eaten themselves; or a tasty butterfly looks just like one full of unpleasant toxins, again fooling its predators.

While in the Amazon, Bates collected and catalogued specimens from over 14,000 species--8,000 of them new to science--including over 100 species of butterflies.

Batesian mimicry is still taught in science classrooms and continues to amaze and delight students around the world.

The Beautiful Proof Henry Bates travelled to the Amazon with his friend and fellow naturalist Alfred Wallace. They worked together for a brief time and then separated to cover more territory and study variations of species in the Amazon to answer the question: Do species change?

For over 20 years, from the time when he voyaged to remote parts of the world on the HMS Beagle ship, Charles Darwin was working on his theory of natural selection, which he finally published in 1859, called On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. It was published while Bates was returning home to England after 11 years of researching and collecting in the Amazon. Through Bates’ fieldwork with mimicking butterflies, he was also able to put forward the first ever case for speciation, which is the gradual and slow transformation of one species into another. This delighted Charles Darwin, as it was the much needed specimen proof for his then controversial theory of natural selection. Darwin said Bates’ discoveries brought us as close as we could ever get to witnessing the creation of a new species on this Earth. He included them in the next edition of his then famous book.

Alfred Wallace, who set out with Bates and stayed in the Amazon for almost four years, and then went on to the Malay Archipelago for another six years, independently put forward a theory for the origin of species similar to Darwin’s. Their findings were published at the same time, but Darwin followed up his paper with a lengthy book. Natural selection is defined as the process of gradual change by which organisms that are better adapted to their environment tend to survive SK Films 5 April 2017 longer and transmit more of their genetic characteristics to succeeding generations than do those that are less adapted and as a result might go extinct.

By using specific examples and fact-based evidence, viewers can more easily grasp the concepts of the theory during Henry Bates’ perilous and spellbinding adventure.

Bates’ Relevance to Modern Science The extensive team of scientists who have been advisors on the film, including many field biologists, have commented on how realistic the film is as a reflection of the fieldwork they do today. Amazon Adventure 3D includes more scientific evidence than any other IMAX® /Giant Screen film, with contributions from more than 100 scientists from various specialties.

The competition seen between Bates and Wallace is a common occurrence between scientists, as most scientists are eager to solve the scientific question they are looking to answer and to be the first in their field to present relevant evidence. The isolation and loneliness of Bates, as shown in the film, is often prevalent among scientists today who spend extended periods of time alone or with just one other colleague. Bates would often talk to himself and the creatures for company.

The film also highlights the importance of patience and perseverance--qualities that are needed to overcome the immense number of obstacles when searching for a scientific answer—all still relatable to today’s scientists.

Students today find the Bates story still relevant and even inspirational: an unknown young man with limited funding pursues his passion and makes a huge contribution to science and our understanding of the world around us.

Amazon Adventure 3D is a realistic portrayal of the process of scientific discovery – including the detail required and its time-consuming nature. The basic methods Bates used over 150 years ago are still used today, except with more modern technology, DNA and other techniques. However, the process framework is as relevant today as it was then. Henry Bates used the scientific research approach – theorizing an idea, testing the idea through observation, specimen collecting, the classification and taxonomy required, trial and error, testing, analysis, more testing over geographic distance, and with further refinements, retesting, and so on.

Several teachers have commented that they have never seen such an understandable, entertaining and effective film as this on the subject of natural selection, and they are looking forward to showing it to their classrooms. Others have remarked favorably that this film is the first of its kind to show so much of the scientific method and process, rather than merely being talked about after the fact of a discovery or by a narrator.

SK Films 6 April 2017 The Amazon in the 1850s: A Time of Change

Henry Bates lived in Brazil from 1848 to 1859, where he met many tribes along the Amazon River. These natives taught Bates how to adapt to the untamed rainforest and, in exchange, they relished the chance to learn about life beyond the Amazon. It was a time of change. There were less intertribal wars, which meant young men left their homes in search of work opportunities in the rapidly growing river trade and lumber mills, especially after steamships were introduced in 1853. Some of the most influential tribes, which Bates befriended, include the Camúta, Mauhé, Tacúna, Shumánas, Jurís, Passés, Caishaná, Cucáma, Marauá and the Mundurukú. Bates learned to communicate in many languages during his journey; in the film Amazon Adventure 3D you will hear Bates and his native guide speak Portuguese, Mundurukú and Língua Geral, a common language, spoken by many different tribes.

The Challenges of Shooting in the Rainforest

Unpredictable Weather The extreme heat and humidity, combined with the constantly changing lighting conditions and the often-torrential downpours created quite an unpredictable filming environment for the cast and crew of Amazon Adventure 3D.

“Filming in the Amazon presented numerous challenges. Every time you think you got everything under control, some curve ball comes in. But these sorts of challenges make filmmaking possible and inspire us to make creative decisions and the film is better off for it. “ – Says Gerry Vasbenter, Cinematographer Amazon Adventure 3D

Constant rainstorms and the transition from the dry to wet season meant that shooting locations would change drastically from one week to the next and the team had to remain flexible with the ever changing schedule, which impacted every aspect of the moving set.

SK Films 7 April 2017 Unstable Terrain The biodiversity and lush rainforest provided a beautiful background for filming Amazon Adventure 3D; however, it also presented a number of pitfalls. Maneuvering all of the equipment, including two massive Sony F65 cameras in the jungle, down slippery slopes and through narrow, rough pathways, was a daily obstacle course and challenge.

The gear for Amazon Adventure 3D was transported up and down the Amazon on two giant barges, loaded with a camera truck, grip truck, electric truck and even an art/costumes van.

Every time the set location changed, it was like moving a small town, but by boat.

On top of everything, all eyes were on Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics, which meant exponentially increased security, delays at the border, complicated customs procedures and a shortage of any and all filming resources.

Working with Wildlife

Capturing Creatures on Film Amazon Adventure 3D features over 50 different species, many of which are rare mimicking species, as well as incredible examples of camouflaging creatures.

Unlike humans, when the director calls Action! on set, animals don't automatically spring into character. It’s additionally difficult to orchestrate so many species, especially when on set in the jungle. You can even encounter unexpected animals in their natural environment!

It’s not easy to get a caterpillar to crawl straight through a frame, or to have a butterfly flap its wings on command. Each species has its own unique set of needs and training techniques. The cast and crew had to take certain measures to work with each individual animal, learning to properly handle, hold and transport the critters.

SK Films 8 April 2017 The field collections of bugs and insects began months prior to the start of filming in Brazil. The filmmakers even constructed a butterfly enclosure to house these insects. The structure was built at the Centro de Instrução de Guerra na Selva (CIGS) in Manaus and was donated for their ongoing conservation work.

Bringing Bates’ World to Life

It is very challenging to try and tell a story in the most factual way possible. There are numerous elements you need to consider and incorporate when producing a scientifically accurate period piece--especially one that needs to be approved by a team of scientists and historical advisors and must still be entertaining for general audiences.

The crew worked tirelessly to transform the set based on our understanding of Bates’ world at that time. It was not an easy task, but it was made possible by the team poring over the written record of Bates’ time in Brazil.

The crew had to focus on the most-minute details to create the sets, props and costumes for Amazon Adventure 3D.

For example, the production used period natural history items and entomological collecting equipment, all of which were scientifically verified. One small mistake could undo years of planning.

Through their extensive research, the filmmakers produced a strict timeline guide to ensure everything shown on screen fell within the correct time frame. If someone watches the film and questions whether this is what the time period was really like, the answer is yes. Amazon Adventure 3D is a true portrayal of that era and as an educational IMAX/Giant Screen film, this was especially crucial.

Some examples of how the filmmakers stayed authentic • The reference bibliography for Amazon Adventure 3D has over 600 entries, which were all sourced in the researching, writing, film pre-production and production. • The Natural History Museum of London agreed to loan the film Bates' original Heliconius butterflies from its archives. The butterflies had strict conditions of use and were always under the direct supervision of Dr. Blanca Huertas. She handled them with special gloves and after filming, the butterflies had to be

SK Films 9 April 2017 quarantined for two weeks because they hadn’t left the museum in over 150 years! • These special butterflies were used in several scenes--including for the two mimicking butterflies that formed the basis of what would be known as Batesian mimicry; and, most importantly, in the chain of Heliconius butterflies that Bates used to put forward as the first case ever of speciation. • The team photographed the only remaining scientific journals from Bates in the Amazon-- including his colorful drawings, which are stored at the Natural History Museum of London. These were then replicated and used in the film. • The label punch used by Alfred Wallace in the film was original and loaned to us by Dr. George Beccaloni, a leading world expert on Alfred Wallace, and also from the Natural History Museum of London. • The film consulted top experts in all aspects of their scientific techniques–-including the drying and setting boards they used, specific pins and labels, the butterfly and insect nets and also the store boxes and shipping trunks and trays for transporting the specimans. • Henry Bates was invited by Charles Darwin for Easter Weekend at Down House in April of 1862. The production recreated and filmed this historic meeting at Down House, whose charitable trust kindly agreed to let the film team use the facilities. They were also able to find the kind of dog that Darwin had at the time of Bates’ visit. • Bates and Wallace's natural history agent, Samuel Stevens, was himself an avid and knowledgeable collector and served on various entomological boards. He ran his Natural History Agency at 24 Bloomsbury, around the corner from the British Museum, in London, and his brother ran England's top Natural History Auction House nearby. Samuel Stevens sold microscopes and various slides that he also listed for sale via catalogue. Both he and his brother sold curiosities of various exotic specimens from around the world and he also equipped explorers such as Bates and Wallace. The art department team found many of these items from the 1840's that had filled Stevens shop. We filmed these scenes in a house built around 1740 and the exterior is in the vicinity of the Bloomsbury area. • We filmed the younger Bates’ scenes in the North of England in an original hosiery mill of the kind Bates had apprenticed in. • Whenever possible, the team has used Bates’ own words, taken from his many scientific articles, letters and his book of his travels in the Amazon. He was a gifted writer and often spoke from the heart--something unusual for the time--and in vivid and often poetic terms in his adventure book.

SK Films 10 April 2017 ABOUT THE FILM

Synopsis Amazon Adventure 3D tells the epic, true story of explorer Henry Walter Bates, who risks his life for science in the 1850's as a young man during a fascinating 11-year journey through the visually stunning and biodiverse Amazon rainforest. As in any great detective story, audiences will experience, in immersive IMAX®, the compelling clues Bates unearths in his major discovery of the phenomenon of mimicry, whereby certain animals adopt the look of others that helps them deceive predators and gain an advantage to survive. Little known to the public, Bates made other crucial contributions to biology: identifying 8,000 species new to science and, most importantly, putting forward the first ever case for the creation of a new species, which Charles Darwin called the "beautiful proof" for natural selection. Audiences will be wowed by the mind-boggling examples of camouflage and mimicry and inspired by Bates' endless curiosity and determination to explore the wilds of nature from the time he was a young boy.

As in SK's award winning Flight of the Butterflies 3D, nature is extraordinary and science is adventure, just waiting to be discovered.

Key Film Credits

• Lead Actors: Calum Finlay, Ed Birch, Robert Daws, Begê Muniz, William Postlethwaite, Louis Partridge • Executive Producers: Jonathan Barker & Sean B. Carroll • Directed By: Mike Slee • Music By: Antonio Pinto • Edited By: Caroline Christie • Sound Design By: Peter Thillaye • Directors of Photography: Gerry Vasbenter, Richard Kirby • Production Design By: Marie Lanna • Costumes By: Claire Finlay-Thompson • Written By: Wendy MacKeigan & Carl Knutson • Supervising Producers: Myles Connolly & Kym Crepin • Produced By: Jonathan Barker, Wendy MacKeigan Mike Slee, Yuri Sanada, Vera RP Sanada Amazon Adventure 3D Distributed Worldwide by: SK Films Film Length: 45 Minutes Rating: Not Yet Rated Formats: Available in 2D/3D, IMAX digital/laser. All 15/70 film formats and digital cinemas. Shooting Locations: UK/Brazil - An official Canada/UK/Brazil Co-production –

SK Films 11 April 2017 KEY SCIENTIFIC AND HISTORICAL ADVISORS

The production team for the film, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Pacific Science Center, are very fortunate to have the high caliber, extensive experience and dedication of a core group of advisors who have been attached to this film and its related NSF funding for over three years. Their distinguished careers have focused on the many aspects of mimicry, biological evolution and the historical representations of Henry Bates and his distinguished colleagues, Alfred Wallace and Charles Darwin. As a vital part of a larger group of scientists and historians, they have written numerous articles and books. They’re all professors at universities where they teach the next generation of scientists and undertake and supervise various research programs of postgraduate students.

Dr. James Mallet Distinguished Lecturer in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University; Emeritus Professor in the Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London; Winner of the Darwin-Wallace Medal (2008).

Dr. Robert Reed Dr. Reed’s expertise and area of research is in the evolution of butterfly wing patterns and colors. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Cornell, NY.

Dr. Andre Freitas Professor in the Department of Animal Biology at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (University of Campinas, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil).

Dr. Anthony Crawforth Bates Historical Advisor, Biographer and author of The Butterfly Hunter: Henry Walter Bates, 2009; Ph.D. on Henry Walter Bates and Biography, University of Buckingham; Previously a lecturer at the University of Buckingham in the Arts and Heritage Management department; Fellow of the Linnean Society.

Dr. James S. Miller Research Associate, Lepidoptera, American Museum of Natural History. Specializes in the Notodontidae family of moths. His research addresses general issues in taxonomy, biodiversity, phylogeny, and historical ecology. In a recent paper, Miller reclassified the genera of Dioptinae, the first such effort in nearly 100 years.

SK Films 12 April 2017 CAST BIOGRAPHIES

Calum Finlay – Actor – Plays “Henry Bates” Calum trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Since graduating, he’s performed with the National Theatre (Prince of Denmark), the Royal Shakespeare Company (Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Jubilee), the Royal Exchange Manchester, Birmingham REP, and with the National Theatre Scotland on tour around Russia and Asia. He has regularly performed, devised and developed work with award-winning theatre company Told By An Idiot (The Mouse and His Child, Too Clever By Half and The Ghost Train). His screen credits include the BBC’s Holby City and most recently the National Television Award winning version of Midsummer Night’s Dream--a collaboration between the RSC and Cbeebies, aimed at young audiences. Amazon Adventure 3D (2017) marks his Giant Screen debut in the starring role of Henry Bates. Calum is currently performing Hamlet alongside Andrew Scott and Juliet Stevenson, which is shortly transferring from the Almeida Theatre into the West End.

Begê Muniz (Brazilian) – Actor – Plays ‘Tando” Begê Muniz, from the state of Amazonas in Brazil, trained at the Emílio Fontana Theater School in São Paulo. He made his film debut in 2010 when he starred in the short film Cachoeira, followed by The Forest of Jonathas (2012), for which he won two awards, including Best Actor at the Amazonas Film Festival and the Festival Luso–Brasileiro de Santa Maria. Most recently, Muniz starred in the film Time Was Endless, which just premiered at the Berlin Film Festival (2017) and appeared in the Brazilian series 3% (Netflix). His role as Tando, the native guide and great friend of Henry Bates, in Amazon Adventure 3D (2017) is his Giant Screen debut

William Postlethwaite – Actor – Plays “Samuel Stevens” Billy Postlethwaite was born in 1989 in Shropshire, England as William John Postlethwaite. He is known for his roles in Containment (2015), The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: The Murder in Angel Lane (2013), and Tea for Two (2015). In his most recent role, in Amazon Adventure 3D (2017), Postlethwaite plays Samuel Stevens, a natural history agent in London, where he sells specimens of wild creatures collected from around the world.

Ed Birch – Actor – Plays “Alfred Wallace” Ed Birch is known for his roles in The Eichmann Show (2015), Casanova (2015), and Their Finest (2016). Amazon Adventure 3D (2017) marks his Giant Screen debut in the role of Alfred Wallace, the well known biologist who travelled through the Amazon for four years, the first of which he spent exploring with Henry Bates.

Robert Daws – Actor – Plays “Charles Darwin” Robert Daws appeared in Public Property (2009), starred as Dr. Watson in The Secret Of Sherlock Holmes (2010), and played various roles in Diary of a Nobody (2011), and Rock and Chips (2011). He also acted as Jack Whitehall's father in Jack's Sky Christmas Cracker, and portrayed Mayor Len Winkler in Ben Elton's comedy series, The Wright Way. In his most recent role, in Amazon Adventure 3D (2017), Daws plays Charles Darwin, the lifelong hero and friend of Henry Bates.

SK Films 13 April 2017 THE FILMMAKERS

Dr. Sean B. Carroll – Executive Producer, VP Science Education (HHMI) and prominent Evolutionary Biologist Sean B. Carroll is Vice President for Science Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the architect of HHMI’s science filmmaking initiative. Sean has served as executive producer or executive in charge of more than a dozen feature or short documentary films, including Your Inner Fish (PBS), Mass Extinction (Smithsonian Channel) and Can Alzheimer’s Be Stopped? (NOVA/PBS). An award-winning author and one of the world’s leading evolutionary biologists, Carroll is also the Allan Wilson Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Wisconsin, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Jonathan Barker – Executive Producer/Producer (SK Films) With over three decades of award-winning film and television experience, Jonathan is a world leader in 3D film production and distribution, specializing in IMAX®/Giant Screen films that combine human drama and natural history discoveries, such as his most recent hit, Flight of the Butterflies 3D, starring Gordon Pinsent (Away from Her).

In addition to Flight of the Butterflies 3D – which won every major award from the Giant Screen Cinema Association and was awarded Best Immersive 3D/Large Format film at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival – some of his outstanding productions include the Oscar® shortlisted IMAX® 3D film, Bugs!, one of the most successful Giant Screen films of the past dozen years.

Wendy MacKeigan – Producer/Co-Writer (SK Films) Wendy is one of Canada’s most experienced and respected film executives, possessing both a strong creative and business background. She is a principal of SK and oversees creative development for the company. She is the co-writer of SK’s current IMAX®/Giant Screen production, Amazon Adventure 3D, in partnership with Tangled Bank Studios, a division of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She co-wrote the worldwide audience and critical hit Flight of the Butterflies 3D, was Senior Story Editor on the award-winning IMAX®/Giant Screen film, Journey to Mecca: In the footsteps of Ibn Battuta and is the Producer of the award-winning eco-adventure series, The Water Brothers, broadcast in over 45 countries and in its fourth season.

For a decade, Wendy previously ran the film investment agency for Astral Media, now owned by Bell Media, and has served on various Boards and Advisory Committees, including as the former Chair of Women in Film and Television and for the Toronto International Film Festival.

Mike Slee – Director/Producer Mike Slee is a British writer, director and producer with over 50 TV, Giant Screen films and cinema projects to his credit. After graduating in Visual Communications (B.A.1st Hons) Mike trained (made tea!) on David Attenborough’s Life on Earth and Living Planet at the BBC. After a spell directing music videos, Mike partnered with the UK indie Principal Media as Creative Director and, for over 20 years, Mike produced and directed more than 50 hours of prime-time factual programming filmed in 30 countries on every continent. Mike co-wrote and directed the Giant Screen IMAX® ghost story Legend of Loch Lomond, Discovery’s Giant Screen/IMAX® feature Wildfire Feel the Heat and the multi-award winning Giant Screen IMAX® release set in Borneo,

SK Films 14 April 2017 Bugs! 3D.

Mike was Series Director on Discovery’s Atlas 4D, as well as writing, producing and directing the National Geographic “Explorer” Shackleton’s Whisky, and for Off the Fence/Eco-Planet the feature: Colombia: Wild Magic. Recently, Mike directed CGI science adventures Journey to the Centre of the Planet and Journey to the Bottom of the Sea for BBC1, and for National Geographic: Drain the Ocean WWII, as well as Robots 3D in IMAX®. For Smithsonian/eOne he co-devised and directed Mummies Alive!, for History Channel, the counter-factual feature: The Great Martian War, and for BBC Earth the giant screen feature doc Wild Africa 3D. Mike also co-wrote, produced and directed SK Film’s acclaimed Flight of the Butterflies 3D, winning a clean sweep at the 2013 Giant Screen Cinema Awards.

Caroline Christie – Editor Over the past 25 years, Toronto based editor Caroline Christie has worked in a variety of cinematic forms: award winning feature documentaries (Army of One, Project Grizzly); TV comedy series (The Awful Truth with Michael Moore, Dan For Mayor, InSecurity, Puppets Who Kill); experimental short films (Michael Snow’s Hue Chroma Tint, Peter Lynch and Max Dean’s A Short Film About Falling, Elida Schogt’s Zyklon Portrait); award winning dramatic shorts (Peter Lynch’s Arrowhead); the popular CBC television series Republic of Doyle and Peter Lynch's latest film, a neo-noir entitled Birdland.

Gerry Vasbenter – Director of Photography Gerry Vasbenter is a member of the Guild of British Camera Technicians and an associate member of BSC. Vasbenter won Best Cinematography for Taking Stock (2015) at the Monaco International Film Festival. He is known for his stunning camera work on various feature films and series, including The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2011) and Game of Thrones (2011). Most recently, he has worked on The Comedian’s Guide to Survival (2016), The Infiltrator (2016), Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016) and London Spy (2015).

Richard Kirby – Director of Photography Richard Kirby is an award winning cinematographer. He has won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Cinematography - Documentary and Long Form, Human Planet (2011), and for Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary and Long Form, One Life (2011). He also won the Magnolia Award for Best Photography in a Nature Documentary, The Nile (2004).

SK Films 15 April 2017 KEY PARTNERS

SK Films: SK Films is an award-winning creator and distributor of cutting edge 3D and 2D natural history and other fact-based content for multiple platforms from Giant Screen/IMAX® cinemas to mobile applications. Working with world-leading talent and with an unwavering commitment to quality, SK’s mission is to entertain and inspire audiences and immerse them in the awe and wonder of the world we live in. For more information, please visit www.skfilms.ca

HHMI Tangled Bank Studios: HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a production company established and funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as an extension of its longstanding science education mission. Dedicated to the creation of original science documentaries for broadcast, theatrical and digital distribution, the company’s award-winning programs address important contemporary issues and capture compelling stories of discovery across all branches of scientific inquiry. For more information, please visit www.tangledbankstudios.org.

National Science Foundation: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent US federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. NSF funds reach all 50 united states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. For more information, please visit www.nsf.gov

Pacific Science Center: Pacific Science Center began as the United States Science Pavilion during the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. Millions came to explore the wonders of science during the World’s Fair and upon closing ceremonies, the Science Pavilion was given new life as the private not-for- profit Pacific Science Center, becoming the first U.S. museum founded as a science and technology center. On July 22, 2010 Pacific Science Center was declared a City of Seattle Landmark. On October 22, 2012 Pacific Science Center celebrated making science fun for 50 years. For more information, please visit https://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/

SK Films 16 April 2017 Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation believes in bold ideas that create enduring impact in the areas of science, environmental conservation and patient care. Intel co-founder Gordon and his wife Betty established the foundation to create positive change around the world and at home in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, please visit www.moore.org or follow @MooreFound.

Science Sandbox – Simons Foundation: The Simons Foundation’s mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. Cofounded in New York City by Jim and Marilyn Simons, the foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2014. The Simons Foundation at its core exists to support basic — or discovery-driven — scientific research, undertaken in pursuit of understanding the phenomena of our world. For more information, please visit https://www.simonsfoundation.org/education- outreach/science-sandbox/

Foxconn Brasil: Technology Group is the leading provider of design, development, manufacturing, assembly and after-sales services to global computer, communication and entertainment leaders. Based on the "Customer Focus" concept, Foxconn is not only the largest, but also the fastest growing multinational in service delivery (including EMC, EMS, ODM and CMMS) worldwide. For more information, please visit www.foxconn.com/

Ancine: Agência Nacional do Cinema is a regulatory agency whose functions are the promotion, regulation and supervision of the film and audiovisual market in Brazil. ANCINE's mission is to develop and regulate the audio-visual sector for the benefit of Brazilian society. For more information, please visit www.ancine.gov.br/

Vale: With a mission to transform natural resources into prosperity and sustainable development, Vale is a global mining company with headquarters in Brazil. Vale are leaders in the production of iron ore and the second largest producer of nickel. For more information, please visit www.vale.com

SK Films 17 April 2017