I remember visiting the Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Durban as a child and watching the many edutainment documentaries which were screened on their IMAX big screen. It was a thing I had to do every time I visited. However, IMAX then left the country and the experience ended. However, now that Ster-Kinekor and IMAX started their partnership and the brand is back in the country, we’re able to watch all our favourite blockbusters on their massive screen. However, the edutainment aspect of the brand was put on hold – until now. The brand has acquired an exciting new series of eight space and nature documentaries, filmed in 3D for IMAX, which will blow you away with interesting facts and it’s awesome 3D quality.
Ster-Kinekor is launching the IMAX® Space and Nature Series at its seven IMAX theatres in the new year. Through these immersive films, audiences are invited to explore the fascinating world around them through the immersive quality of The IMAX 3D Experience®, in the comfort of an IMAX cinema.
The edutainment videos are geared to school outings and will be scheduled where group bookings of over 100 people are confirmed – and the learning doesn’t stop once the lights turn on. Each of the films, with a running time of approximately 45 minutes, is accompanied by an extensive resource pack that enables the teacher to extend the fun and edutainment learning experience beyond the big screen and into the classroom.
“The world around us – from the oceans and the wild, with all the extraordinary creatures and plants that inhabit these spaces, to far off galaxies in outer space – continues to amaze and enthral. For many of us, these spaces would always remain a mystery. However, with this amazing new series from IMAX, not only are we taken to places we have never been before, but we are also exposed to familiar places in a way that we have never seen before,” Motheo Matsau, Chief Marketing and Sales Office of Ster-Kinekor Theatres, says. “Watching the films in IMAX 3D on the huge screen, accompanied by an amazing surround sound experience, promises a sensory overload as audiences are able to share in, celebrate and learn more about the amazing world around us. These spectacular films promise to inspire learners through incredible journeys of discovery and allow them to dream of future career choices through the magic of these IMAX films.”
As mentioned, Ster-Kinekor and IMAX have secured eight exclusive documentaries for the South African market. Two of the films focus on space – Hubble 3D and Space Station 3D, with the other six titles exploring the many facets of our natural world: Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D; Born to be Wild 3D; Journey to the South Pacific 3D; Galapagos 3D; Under the Sea 3D and Deep Sea 3D. Each film is narrated by a famous Hollywood star, including Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Jim Carrey, Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet and Kenneth Branagh.
The idea is incredible and I’m really glad that the edutainement series are back. However, I hope that, in the future, IMAX screens these documentaries for the public as well so parents are able to accompany their kids to the cinema without relying on the school making a booking.
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