Mark Simpfendorfer Productions has announced that giant screen and digital theatre distribution rights to the documentary Red Crabs: Australia's Christmas Island have been granted to two distribution companies. Offset Films lead by Campbell Woskett and based in Australia will distribute the film in Australia Asia Europe Africa and the Middle East. Big & Digital lead by Tina Ratterman and based in Louisville Kentucky will distribute to theatres in the Americas. Evans and Sutherland have been given rights to the full dome market worldwide. “We are making final adjustments to the film and I am excited to have the energy and experience of Tina Ratterman working on the film in the Americas ” says director and producer Mark Simpfendorfer. Red Crabs will be released in 15/70 2D Digital in 2D and 3D and Full Dome in Summer 2009 with 15/70 3D and 8/70 2D available in Fall 2009. The industry premiere will take place at GSCA during the annual conference this September in Indianapolis. Red Crabs is set deep in the Indian Ocean on the tropical oasis of Christmas Island. When monsoon clouds signal the beginning of the wet season millions of red crabs march from the rain forest to the ocean to breed. The red crab population has dropped from hundreds of millions to around forty million in just over a hundred years of human settlement. Audiences join the Red Crabs on their epic journey not just to breed but also for the survival of their species. This amazing natural phenomenon is presented in time-lapse photography which keeps the audience engaged and entertained. The technology used for filming Red Crabs is a first for Imax theatre audiences. It was shot over a two-year period with Canon digital cameras at 4K. Andrew Oran from Fotokem in Los Angeles says “Red Crabs features what may well be the highest resolution digital capture employed in a giant screen documentary to date.” Big and Digital www.biganddigital.com Offset Films www.offsetfilms.com
