'DREAM BIG' Giant-Screen Movie Pushes STEM Movement at Houston Museum of Natural Science

Giant screen movie-goers will soar above the world's tallest bridge and travel at speeds approaching 700 mph when MacGillivray Freeman's new 3D film, DREAM BIG: Engineering Our World, produced in partnership with American Society of Civil Engineers and presented by Bechtel Corporation, arrives in the Giant Screen Theatre at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Feb. 17 as a kick-off to national Engineers Week.

Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, the film celebrates human ingenuity and innovation while offering an exciting new perspective on what it means to be an engineer.

Watch the trailer!

"HMNS is a major Science learning center with over a half million school children visiting annually. With that in mind, I knew we had to show this movie given the increasing importance of STEM education," said Charlotte Brohi, VP of Film Programming and Distribution at HMNS. "DREAM BIG is an ideal way to expose and ignite students' interest in STEM subjects and careers. More importantly, the film does a superb job spotlighting a woman that has made major contributions in the field. It will become more evident to young girls how creative, fulfilling and enjoyable a STEM career can be."

From the Great Wall of China and the world's tallest buildings to underwater robots, solar cars and smart, sustainable cities, DREAM BIG showcases engineering marvels big and small. With its inspiring human stories-including a young woman engineer building bridges in undeveloped countries and an underprivileged high school robotics team that succeeds against all odds-the movie reveals the compassion and creativity that drive engineers to create better lives for people and a more sustainable future for us all.

DREAM BIG is the first giant screen project of its kind to promote the educational STEM movement (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

"Parents and TEACHERS are looking for ways to turn kids on to Science and engineering," says director Greg MacGillivray, a two-time Academy Award nominee and chairman of MacGillivray Freeman Films. "With DREAM BIG, we wanted to bring something new to that effort with an entertaining, visually spectacular film full of stirring human stories that reveal the impact engineers have on our society. We hope it energizes kids of all ages, especially girls, to think about engineering as a meaningful way to help others and leave a positive mark on the world."

The film receives support from 15 engineering organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and many others. They serve as partners, role models and experts in local communities across the country.

MacGillivray Freeman Films and its partners at ASCE and Bechtel have produced educational materials to go with the film and are providing funding for programs at museums and Science centers such as Engineering Festivals and Girls Night Out. Some of the targeted programming is meant to introduce middle and high-school girls to dynamic women engineer role models to encourage their interest in engineering careers. Also available are 50 hands-on engineering activities, educational videos, lesson plans for grades K-12 and other engineering-themed events. These educational components are hosted on the educational website www.DiscoverE.org/dreambig.

For tickets and more information on Dream Big, visit www.hmns.org or call (713) 639-4629.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science-one of the nation's most heavily attended museums-is a centerpiece of the Houston Museum District. With four floors of permanent exhibit halls, and the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium and George Observatory and as host to world-class and ever-changing touring exhibitions, the Museum has something to delight every age group. With such diverse and extraordinary offerings, a trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, located at 5555 Hermann Park Drive in the heart of the Museum District, is always an adventure.

MacGillivray Freeman Films is the world's foremost independent producer and distributor of giant-screen 70mm films with 40 films for IMAX theatres to its credit. Throughout the company's 50-year history, its films have won numerous international awards including two Academy Award nominations and three films inducted into the IMAX Hall of Fame. MacGillivray Freeman's films are known for their artistry and celebration of Science and the natural world. It is the first documentary film company to reach the one billion dollar benchmark for worldwide box office.

As a production partner, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has been planning, coordinating and promoting Dream Big and its outreach programs since inception. With 150,000 members in 177 countries, ASCE members engineer the built environment while protecting and restoring the natural environment.

Bechtel Corporation is among the most respected engineering, construction and project management companies in the world. Together with their customers, they deliver landmark projects that foster sustainable progress and economic growth. Since 1898, they have completed more than 25,000 extraordinary projects across 160 countries on all seven continents.

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