FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES Soars Back On Screen, Today

Flight of the Butterflies, a breathtaking giant screen adventure from SK Films, is coming back to the 4-story Giant Screen Theater at Atlanta's Fernbank Museum of Natural History-this time in 3D-by popular demand, scheduled to show daily from Friday, Nov. 2 through Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019.

Based on a remarkable true story, the epic film immerses audiences in a triumphant journey of perseverance that spans thousands of miles and several generations -- tracking real monarch butterflies to their mysterious Mexican winter haven where audiences will discover a truly spectacular sight: hundreds of millions of REAL live butterflies in one of the most amazing places on Earth!

The film is the awe-inspiring story of two unlikely heroes that share a common strength. Based on true events, it follows the epic journey of the iconic monarch butterfly in one of the most incredible migrations on Earth, and the determined scientist, Dr. Fred Urquhart, who spent 40 years trying to discover the mysteries surrounding their journey and secret winter hideaway.

What began with a small boy daydreaming about where butterflies went each winter became a lifelong pursuit by Urquhart, who ingeniously enlisted the help of legions of volunteers, known as "citizen scientists," to help with tagging and tracking the butterflies. The decades-long quest yielded the ultimate discovery of the monarch butterflies' overwintering sites in the sanctuaries of Mexico.

Through spectacular Giant Screen technology, audiences are transported into the tiny world of one intrepid creature - Dana (Danaus Plexippus) - and her offspring as they migrate north from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada and back south again to the captivating hidden butterfly sanctuaries set 10,000 feet high in the mountains of the States of Michoacán and Mexico.

The iconic monarch butterfly is a true marvel of nature. Weighing less than a penny, it makes one of the longest migrations on Earth across a continent, yet with pinpoint navigational accuracy, to a place it has never been. While much has been learned, scientists are still unraveling the many inter-related aspects of this phenomenon of the natural world. As the film illustrates, it takes two to three generations of butterflies to migrate north from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada and one "super generation" to complete the migration back south to Mexico.

"The monarch butterfly migration is one of nature's greatest feats, making it a perfect pairing with the new exhibit Nature's Superheroes: Life at the Limits," said Jessy Nuckolls, a life science educator at Fernbank Museum. "We love this movie because it showcases one of nature's tiniest superheroes, and also because it starts with a child's curiosity about nature."

In the immersive 3D Giant Screen environment, moviegoers will experience this journey up close and see the evolution from egg to caterpillar to pupa to butterfly captured with MRI & micro CT scans--which bring audiences closer to the action than ever before. The film team also travels high into the mountain ranges and up tree canopies into the Monarch sanctuaries of Mexico to capture stunning real 3D footage of hundreds of millions of these magnificent creatures.

Flight of the Butterflies is a trilateral co-production between Mexico, Canada and the U.K. Director Mike Slee co-wrote the script with co-Executive Producer Wendy MacKeigan. The film's Executive Producer is Jonathan Barker.

Flight of the Butterflies received major funding from the National Science Foundation and includes an extensive Educational Outreach Program, built in partnership with The Maryland Science Center. The world's top monarch butterfly experts, including Dr. Chip Taylor, Dr. Karen Oberhauser and Dr. Lincoln Brower, served as scientific advisors to the film. Major support has also come from the Mexican Federal Government (Environment &Tourism) and the States of México and Michoacán, as well as from two of the most important companies in Mexico - Coca-Cola FEMSA, and Grupo Bimbo (the world's largest baked goods company).

In 2008, UNESCO declared the monarch butterfly reserve in Mexico a World Heritage Site. Monarch butterflies depend on milkweed and milkweed habitats for survival.

Significant portions of the film's box office revenue will go towards Monarch butterfly conservation through Mexico's leading conservation organization, Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza.

For more information on the film, visit www.flightofthebutterflies.com.

Projected on an impressive four-story screen, "Flight of the Butterflies 3D" will show daily at Fernbank's Giant Screen Theatre starting Friday, Nov. 2. "Flight of the Butterflies" also shows Friday evenings during Fernbank After Dark.

For exact show times and to watch the trailer, visit http://www.fernbankmuseum.org/explore/giant-screen-theatre/flight-of-the-butterflies-3d/.

Giant Screen Theatre tickets are $13 for adults, $12 for seniors, $11 for children and $8 for Museum members, and can be purchased online at fernbankmuseum.org or by calling 404.929.6400.

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