Ocean Explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle to Narrate IMAX Theater Film "Jean-Michel Cousteau's Secret Ocean"

December 8, 2014 (Santa Barbara, CA)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contact:
Holly Lohuis, Ocean Futures Society
805.899.8899 X1
hlohuis@oceanfutures.org

Santa Barbara, CA – 3D Entertainment Distribution announced today that renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle will narrate the upcoming giant screen film "Jean-Michel Cousteau's Secret Ocean," directed by Jean-Michel Cousteau and produced by Ocean Futures Society and 3D Entertainment Films. The 40-minute underwater documentary explores the ocean as never before. It is slated for a staggered release worldwide in 3D and 2D, 15-perf./70-mm film and digital formats beginning in March 2015.

"From the start, my wish was that the narrator of 'Secret Ocean' be profoundly connected to the message of marine exploration & conservation, and we could not have better fulfilled that mission," said Jean-Michel Cousteau. "Dr. Sylvia Earle is not just the voice of the film. She is a voice for the ocean."

"I am delighted to be narrating the first documentary for IMAX® and digital 3D cinemas directed by my longtime friend and fellow ocean explorer, Jean-Michel Cousteau," said Dr. Earle. "Since I began diving over 60 years ago, I've had the frustration of knowing that there was always more beyond what I could see, but technology is key to being able to see the ocean with new eyes. This extraordinary giant screen experience is so spectacular, audiences won't simply watch the film; they'll live it. 'Secret Ocean' allows us all to better understand life in the sea, the heart of our planet, and perhaps develop a desire to protect it. With knowing comes caring, but first we need to know."

Called "Her Deepness" by the New Yorker and the New York Times, "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress, first "Hero for the Planet" by Time Magazine and, most recently, named a "Champion for the Earth" by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Dr. Earle is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist, government official, and director for corporate and non-profit organizations. Formerly Chief Scientist of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she has led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, including leading the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970, participating in ten saturation dives and setting a record for solo diving in 1000 meters (3,300 feet) depth. Her research concerns marine ecosystems with special reference to exploration, conservation and the development and use of new technologies for access and effective operations in the deep sea and other remote environments. Earle is also the recipient of more than 100 national and international honors.

Filmed over 3 years at locations around the globe, "Jean-Michel Cousteau's Secret Ocean" provides a compelling, breakthrough look at a secret world within the ocean that is perhaps the biggest story of all -- that the smallest life in the sea is the mightiest force on which we all depend. Alongside marine biologist Holly Lohuis, the son of ocean pioneer Jacques Cousteau invites audiences to dive into this whole new world that will leave viewers in awe of the beauty and diversity of the oceans - the source of all life on our planet - and inspire an even stronger desire to protect what they have either seen for the first time, or perhaps re-discovered.

Visit the official film website at www.SecretOcean-theFilm.com.

About Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society
Ocean Futures Society is a non-profit marine conservation and education organization that serves as a “Voice for the Ocean”. OFS’s mission is to explore the oceans, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection and to celebrate their vital importance to the survival of all life on the planet. One of OFS’s educational program, Ambassadors of the Environment, represents the Society’s commitment to prepare the next generation for the responsibilities they will inherit to manage the planet’s biosphere. For more information, visit the website at www.oceanfutures.org.