Born to Be Wild Opens in Imax at AMNH

Born to Be Wild, a new IMAX® film about a miraculous journey of second chances, opens at the American Museum of Natural History on Monday, January 9. Narrated by Academy-Award® winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby), this 40-minute film follows orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise them, saving endangered species one life at a time. Stunningly captured in IMAX, Born to be Wild is a heartwarming adventure that transports moviegoers to the lush rainforests of Borneo with world-renowned primatologist Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas and across the rugged Kenyan savanna with celebrated elephant authority Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick as they and their teams rescue, rehabilitate, and return these incredible animals back to the wild.

Directed by David Lickley (Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees), the film was written and produced by Drew Fellman (Under the Sea), who began germinating the idea 17 years ago while backpacking through Southeast Asia. Fellman heard about a place in Tanjung Putting National Park in central Borneo where Dr. Galdikas had been raising orphaned orangutans and decided to go see the place for himself. More than a decade later, Greg Foster, IMAX president of Filmed Entertainment, showed Fellman a piece from “60 Minutes” about another inspiring woman, Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, and the orphaned wild elephants her foundation raises in Kenya. The story struck a familiar emotional chord, and Fellman instantly knew that the remarkable stories of these two women and the animals to which they have devoted their lives would make an incredible film.
Born to be Wild is a presentation of Warner Brothers Pictures and IMAX Filmed Entertainment.
Born to be Wild will be shown daily in the LeFrak Theater, every hour from
10:30 am to 4:30 pm. To purchase tickets in advance, the public should call 212-769-5200 or visit amnh.org. A service charge may apply. (For ticket pricing, please see page 3.)

American Museum of Natural History (amnh.org)
The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses 45 permanent exhibition halls and galleries for temporary exhibitions, the Rose Center for Earth and Space with the Hayden Planetarium, state-of-the-art research laboratories and five active research divisions that support more than 200 scientists in addition to one of the largest natural history libraries in the Western Hemisphere and a Permanent Collection of more than 32 million specimens and cultural artifacts. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, it is the first American museum authorized to grant the Ph.D. degree. In 2012, the Museum will begin offering a pilot Master of Arts in Teaching with a specialization in earth science. Approximately 5 million visitors from around the world came to the Museum last year, and its exhibitions and Space Shows can be seen in venues on five continents. The Museum’s website and growing collection of apps for mobile devices extend its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more beyond its walls. Visit amnh.org for more information.