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Hurricane on the Bayou - IMAX FilmHurricane Katrina Documentary Debuts in Denver, ColoradoA movie about the epic storm that hit New Orleans also acts as a call to action to halt the degradation of the area's wetlands. It opens in March at the IMAX in Denver.
In early 2005, filmmaker Greg MacGillivray started shooting Hurricane on the Bayou in and around New Orleans so he could show the world how Louisiana’s wetlands have deterioriated over the past 50 years. He planned to show how a hypothetical hurricane could lead to a massive flood in New Orleans. The director couldn't have predicted that the catastrophe he intended to dramatize on film was about to become real right in the middle of the film’s production. When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, the filmmaking team decided to broaden the story. MacGillivray and his team interviewed some of New Orleans’ most talented musicians, including Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Allen Toussaint, Cajun blues guitarist Tab Benoit, the teenage Amanda Shaw and accordion player Chubby Carrier. Their emotional music accompanies much of the film’s footage. This poignant, music-driven movie opens March 16 at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science's Phipps IMAX Theatre. It is scheduled to play on the large format screen at the museum daily through October 4, 2007. Hurricane on the Bayou begins in the bayou, with alligators frolicking in the swamp to Cajun tunes. Viewers get a historical perspective of “The Big Easy,” learning how New Orleans grew from untamed swampland into bustling Louisiana port with a completely unique culture—a melting pot of African, Native American, Cajun, Creole and Southern influences that are reflected in the area’s traditions, art, cuisine and music today. Viewers learn that one acre of wetlands vanishes every 30 minutes, and Louisiana loses an amount of land equivalent to the island of Manhattan each year because the natural coastal buffer that once sheltered New Orleans from severe storms has drastically deteriorated. These forces of nature have also caused several unique animal and plant species that once thrived in the swamps to become endangered. Special effects re-create Katrina's devestation, made even more powerful by the size of the giant IMAX screen. Never-before-seen aerial footage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina also adds to the drama Narrated by Meryl Streep and presented by The Weather Channel, Hurricane on the Bayou promises not only to educate viewers on the rapidly disappearing wetlands in New Orleans, but also spur a call to action to help residents restore the vibrant city to its former glory. Current IMAX Film FestivalIf you happen to make it to Denver prior to the March 16, 2007, opening of Hurricane on the Bayou, you can still enjoy world-renowned movies on the big screen during the Museum’s IMAX Film Festival. Visitors to the Museum’s website voted for their favorite IMAX films and the top six made it into the festival. These are some of the most stunning, memorable and popular IMAX films that have been shown at the Phipps IMAX Theater since its opening in 1983. They include Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure (2001), Dolphins (2000), Everest (1998), Africa the Serengeti (1994), Blue Planet (1990) and Seasons (1987). Each of these remarkable films is shown at least once daily through March 15. Specific Film Festival showtimes and more information about the upcoming debut of Hurricane on the Bayou can be found at www.dmns.org.
The copyright of the article Hurricane on the Bayou - IMAX Film in Colorado Travel is owned by Kara Williams. Permission to republish Hurricane on the Bayou - IMAX Film in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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