Breathtaking New 3D IMAX Theater Film, SHARKS 3D, Presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau, Premieres Today, March 4th at the Tennessee Aquarium

Breathtaking New 3D IMAX Theater Film, SHARKS 3D, Presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau, Premieres Today, March 4th at the Tennessee Aquarium

SHARKS 3D Creates Major Waves at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theatre in Chattanooga. Come Closer Than You've Ever Dared to One of Nature's Most Sophisticated Yet Endangered Predators

Witness Feeding Frenzies, Swim With the Biggest Fish on Earth and Overcome Your Deepest Fears as You Encounter a Great White Shark

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tennessee Aquarium, Jean-Michel Cousteau and 3D Entertainment, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, invite audiences to a stunning immersive diving experience with SHARKS 3D, the first-ever shark-themed 3D IMAX theatre film, premiering this Friday, March 4 at the IMAX 3D Theater. Join the expert international team of ocean explorers that brought you OCEAN WONDERLAND 3D, which has already been seen by over 500,000 audience members in Chattanooga, on this unique round-the-globe expedition documenting the life of the ultimate predator.

The Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater brings SHARKS 3D to life in grand fashion, offering a unique 3D experience from each of its 406 stadium-style seats with high-definition images projected onto the huge, eight story-tall screen and 12,000 watts of pure digital surround sound. Showtimes this week are 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 6:00 pm daily with additional screenings at 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm on Friday and Saturday only. Advance tickets may be purchased online at http://www.tnaqua.org/ or call 1-800-262-0695 for group sales. The Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater is located at 201 Chestnut Street in Chattanooga.

"I am very pleased that Chattanooga-area residents will now get the chance to share in this truly memorable encounter with the world's great shark species, such as the Great White, Whale Shark and Hammerhead," said Jean-Michel Cousteau, President of Ocean Futures Society. "Watching SHARKS 3D is like pulling on a diving suit and swimming weightlessly with sharks all around. If you've ever wanted to know what it's really like to dive with sharks, this film is certainly a must-see. You can witness them as they truly are in their natural habitat -- not wicked man-eating creatures, as they are far too frequently depicted in modern feature films, but wild, fascinating and highly endangered animals that have been in existence since a million years before the dinosaurs."

"Despite the existence of various international treaties, certain shark species have been reduced by nearly 80% in the past decade alone. Today, the priority is not only to end the steady decline of the shark population, but to rehabilitate its image among the general public," said the United Nations Environment Programme's Executive Director, Klaus Toepfer.

"There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about sharks and shark bites," says Rob Mottice, Tennessee Aquarium acquisitions manager. "Sharks should be respected, not feared. Sharks do much less harm to people than people do to sharks. A hundred million sharks are killed each year. People are more likely to be killed by lightning than by a shark."

"The film's purpose is to lead people to think differently and positively about sharks. As many fellow conservationists have stated before, we protect only what we love. Therefore, we first need to understand what sharks are really like before there can be a change in public perception. Then perhaps we will begin to protect them," said director Jean-Jacques Mantello.

Principal photography on SHARKS 3D required an extensive nine-month shoot totaling 500 dive hours. The film was shot on location in Guadalupe Island, Socorro Island, Revillagigedos and the Sea of Cortez (Mexico), Malpelo Island (Colombia), the Red Sea (Egypt), Sodwana Bay (South Africa), Inhambane (Mozambique), San Diego (USA) and Rangiroa Atoll (French Polynesia).

In addition to its Chattanooga engagement, SHARKS 3D is now playing at the Moody Gardens IMAX 3D Theater (Galveston, TX), CN IMAX Theatre (Vancouver, BC), Universal CityWalk IMAX Theatre (Universal City, CA), Entergy IMAX Theatre (New Orleans, LA), IMAX Theatre at Tropicana (Atlantic City, NJ), the Virginia Aquarium (Virginia Beach, VA) and the Luxor IMAX Theatre (Las Vegas, NV). For a full list of IMAX theatres showing SHARKS 3D, please go to http://www.sharks3d.com/

SHARKS 3D is produced by 3D Entertainment and McKinney Underwater Productions Inc. Directed by Jean-Jacques Mantello, filmed by Gavin McKinney and executive produced by Francois Mantello. SHARKS 3D features an original score composed by Christophe Jacquelin and performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, with an original song, "Still Be Blue", sung by Djazia Satour.

SHARKS 3D is distributed worldwide by 3D Entertainment in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (http://www.unep.org/) and is endorsed and supported by Ocean Futures Society (http://www.oceanfutures.org/), Reef Check (http://www.reefcheck.org/) and PADI's Project Aware (http://www.projectaware.org/).

SHARKS 3D is recommended for general audiences.

Official website: http://www.sharks3d.com/

About 3D Entertainment

Based in London (UK), 3D Entertainment specializes in the production and distribution of marine conservation and environmental-themed films for the worldwide network of IMAX theatres. The company's mission is to immerse audiences in films that inspire and educate. Their first film, OCEAN WONDERLAND 3D, released in February 2003 at IMAX 3D theatres around the globe and produced in partnership with McKinney Underwater Productions, continues to enjoy great success with over 3.3 million viewers to date. More information can be found at http://www.sharks3d.com/

IMAX is a registered trademark of IMAX Corporation

Source: 3D Entertainment

CONTACT: Paul Zemitzsch, +1-314-725-5645, paul@sequel-llc.com, or Julien Bollee, +1-800-819-7753, jbollee@sharks3D.com, both of 3D Entertainment; or Kathie Fulgham, +1-423-785-3005, ksf@tnaqua.org, or Katrina Craven, +1-423-785-3011, kbc@tnaqua.org, both of Tennessee Aquarium

Web site: http://www.unep.org/

Web site: http://www.oceanfutures.org/

Web site: http://www.reefcheck.org/

Web site: http://www.projectaware.org/

Web site: http://www.tnaqua.org/

Web site: http://www.sharks3d.com/

------- Profile: Ent