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New 3D IMAX movie aims to bring engineering into the forefront of American culture

New 3D IMAX movie aims to bring engineering into the forefront of American culture

Dream Big: Engineering Our World, a film for IMAX and giant-screen theaters is being released Feb. 17 across the country in conjunction with Engineers Week, Feb. 19-25 www.discovere.org/our-programs/engineers-week). The film reveals how engineers have changed both everyday lives and entire societies. Produced in partnership with the American Society of Civil Engineers and presented by Bechtel Corporation, the film aims to inspire kids of diverse backgrounds to become the innovators, educators, and leaders who will improve the lives of people across our entire planet throughout the 21st Century.

In Dream Big, the filmmaking team at MacGillivray Freeman Films (MFF) takes viewers around the world — from China and Nepal to Dubai, Australia, and Haiti back to Seattle, San Francisco, and Phoenix, following a group of engineers from diverse backgrounds, each excited to ask in their own way, “What cool solutions can we come up with next?”

“Every day, engineers bring creativity, discipline, and passion to their work,” said Charlene Wheeless, principal vice president at Bechtel for Global Corporate Affairs. “The film showcases how engineers dream big to create a sustainable future and better quality of life for people everywhere. Whether its mega-construction projects, technology innovations, solar cars, or humanitarian structures, engineers across many disciplines, backgrounds, and industries can and do change the world.”

The film’s cast includes:

  • Menzer Pehlivan, a Turkish-American who grew up wanting to be a movie star until a huge earthquake revealed another way to make a major impact on the world (engineering buildings that keep people safe);
  • Steve Burrows, a curiosity-driven British structural engineer who is a kind of time traveler, using cutting-edge technology to uncover the ancient past in China and construct the future in San Francisco;
  • Avery Bang, who builds bridges in underdeveloped countries, connecting people with new opportunities; and
  • Angelica Hernandez, a Mexican immigrant turned leading Arizona engineer who got her start in the legendary robotics club at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix.

With the support of ASCE, Bechtel, and additional partners, MFF will, on top of the film’s release, bring forth an array of exhibits, events, and educational programs to accompany Dream Big and take the film from visceral viewing experience to fully interactive educational movement.

“To us, the film is a kick-off to a campaign that aims to give everyone — children and adults — hands-on engineering experiences,” said Director Greg MacGillivray. “We created the film to be as entertaining and fun for everyone as we could — but we do harbor a wish that it might spark a kid to think, ‘Hey, I’d like to design a futuristic building or life-changing bridge or cool underwater robot one day.’ If there’s a 10-year-old girl in the audience thinking, ‘I have ideas, too,’ we want to not only inspire her but give her a chance to learn more and keep going.”

View theater listings across the United States, Canada, and Mexico at www.dreambigfilm.com.