FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 6, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner, (513) 608-5777, chefner@cincymuseum.org
OMNIMAX® film presents stunning wildlife footage in wilderness adventure
Backyard Wilderness opens Oct. 23 at Cincinnati Museum Center
CINCINNATI – There’s a world of wonder out there. You only need to step into your backyard to discover it. Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is helping inspire local explorers and naturalists with its new OMNIMAX® film Backyard Wilderness, opening October 23 in the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater.
Backyard Wilderness brings viewers nose-to-nose with the animals that roam the treetops, forest floor and pond bottoms in our own backyards. Created by Emmy Award-winning and Oscar®-nominated filmmakers Andrew Young and Susan Todd, the film surprises and entertains viewers with the unexpected delights of nature that are in our own neighborhoods. Spanning a seasonal year around a suburban home, the film displays a stunning array of unique wildlife imagery and behavior – all captured by cameras mounted inside dens and nests and moving along forest floors and pond bottoms.
“Backyard Wilderness is more amazing than anything you would see in a made-for-TV documentary. It’s stunning in its cinematography, making it a truly unique film for our equally unique OMNIMAX® Theater,” says Dave Duszynski, president of Mercury Museum Services, a subsidiary of Cincinnati Museum Center.
In an age where phones, tablets, laptops and TVs demand our attention, Backyard Wilderness reminds us that Wi-Fi is not the only connection that matters. Sometimes in ordinary places, you can uncover extraordinary things that can transform you forever. You just need to step outside.
“We’re thrilled to have made this movie,” said filmmakers Andrew Young and Susan Todd. “We live in a world where we are consumed with technology and the notion of instant gratification. Our desire for this film is to incite parents and children alike to slow down and embrace the small marvels of nature. No matter where you live, we all have access to unique and amazing outdoor environments that we can explore together at any age.”
For those leaving the film with a desire to explore the wild around them, CMC offers plenty of opportunities for inspiration. Within the museum, you can visit Inspired by Nature: The Art and Activism of Charley Harper, reading Harper’s whimsical take on the state of nature alongside his iconic geometric artwork. From home, you can explore your own neighborhood, using the iNaturalist app or notepad to document what you see on the ground, in the trees or in the creek. Then share what you saw with us in our Nature’s Trading Post, where our youngest citizen scientists help us and others understand the nature all around us. If you’re really looking for adventure, though, visit our Richard & Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve System in Adams County – 20,000 acres of some of the most biodiverse land in the nation.
“If people weren’t excited and curious to search for their own slice of wild before, they certainly will be after seeing Backyard Wilderness,” says Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Observation is a critical part of the scientific method and a key to understanding the world around us, so we want to encourage those with innate curiosity to explore their own world, starting right in their own backyard, and we’re happy to provide them the tools and inspiration to do so.”
Backyard Wilderness has received accolades from around the world, including Best Film Short Subject, Best Film Lifelong Learning, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Big Idea Award at the Giant Screen Cinema Association Achievement Awards; Best Children’s Film at the International Wildlife Film Festival; Best Creativity Film at the Beijing International Film Festival; Best Engaging Young Scientists Film at the Jackson Hole Science Media Awards; and was an official selection at both the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital and One Earth Film Festival.
Backyard Wilderness is produced and directed by Andrew Young and Cincinnati-native Susan Todd, who wrote the film together with SK’s Wendy MacKeigan (Flight of the Butterflies, Amazon Adventure).
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios has produced an educational initiative to deepen learning from the film and provide kids, families and educators with the tools and knowledge they need to get outside and observe the natural world around them.
Backyard Wilderness is an Arise Media / Archipelago Films production in collaboration with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios released by SK Films.
Backyard Wilderness opens in the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater October 23. For more information, visit cincymuseum.org/omnimax/backyard-wilderness.
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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution and national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012. CMC is one of a select few museums in the nation with both of these honors, making it a unique asset and a vital community resource. Union Terminal has been voted the nation's 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and Cincinnati History Library & Archives. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, CMC welcomes more than 1.8 million visits annually. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org.
About Arise Media / Archipelago Films
Archipelago Films is a production company created by Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-Award-winning filmmakers Susan Todd and Andrew Young. Arise Media is the non-profit they formed to make innovative media about the most urgent social and environmental challenges facing the planet, and to inspire a new appreciation for our own interconnected role in nature. With a well-established track record of directing, producing and filming, for television, theatrical and now 3D IMAX®/Giant Screens, Archipelago and Arise aim to bring passionate and entertaining films to global audiences through the highest quality visual storytelling. For more information, please visit www.archipelagofilms.com, www.arisemedia.org
About SK Films
SK Films is an award-winning content provider and a global leader in the IMAX®/Giant Screen industry. SK works across various genres and platforms, including theatrical, television and digital media, with a special emphasis on creating high impact natural history and science related content. SK has a reputation as one of the most accomplished and respected producers and distributors supplying 3D, 2D and Dome product to IMAX and other Giant Screen theatres worldwide, with a mission 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
About HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a production company established and funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) 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. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. HHMI is a science philanthropy whose mission is to advance basic biomedical research and science education for the benefit of humanity. The institute is the largest private supporter of science education in the country.
