Grand Canyon Adventure - River at Risk

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Just as Jacques Cousteau opened our eyes through television to the importance of the oceans, the MFF Educational Foundation is trying to open hearts and minds to the importance of water conservation and river restoration through the immense power of IMAX® theatres.  A mission-driven film, Grand Canyon Adventure premiered in 2008.  Grand Canyon Adventure follows other highly-acclaimed and successful water-related films produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films, making it the sixth effort by this award-winning company.  Produced in association with the MFF Educational Foundation, Grand Canyon Adventure is the first of these films released in the immersive three-dimensional (3D) format, so it plays on both 3D and standard IMAX® Theatre screens, many of which are located in renowned museums and science centers in North America.  These fine theatres, with six-channel surround sound, also provide a dramatic soundtrack experience for viewers.  For Grand Canyon Adventure, we are proud to feature music by Dave Matthews Band.

The Film's Story:

Water – it’s the most important story of this century. As Earth’s population expands, our planet’s finite fresh water supply grows more and more scarce. Scientists say a crisis is looming. What can be done?

Set against the immense backdrop of the majestic Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon Adventure 3D will take IMAX® Theatre audiences on an exhilarating river-rafting adventure down the Colorado River in the company of a team of explorers who are committed to bringing awareness to global water issues. One of the world’s mightiest rivers, the Colorado no longer reaches the sea. Every drop of river water is allocated to agriculture and populations along the way, many of whom don’t even realize their connection to the river. No water remains for the river’s end—the Colorado Delta—once a thriving estuary that supported the most diverse biosphere in North America. How do we balance our needs with nature’s? How do we provide enough fresh water for everyone who needs it, not only along the Colorado River, but everywhere on our planet?

The river journey is a compelling and emotional personal story for our main characters, two fathers and their 18-year old daughters. Our cinematic guides include the renowned Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading advocate for water conservation and river restoration, and his daughter Kick. They are joined by Wade Davis, an ethno-botanist and author who has traveled the world studying other cultures, and his daughter Tara.  Shana Watahomigie, who grew up at the Canyon’s edge with her Havasupai family, is their Grand Canyon guide.

As the expedition journeys down river, audiences learn about the challenges we face and the many opportunities that exist for conserving and restoring our watersheds. There is much to be done if future generations are going to look back at this moment, not as a time of crisis, but as the turning point, when we became true stewards of the water planet we all share. We can all play a part.