PHOTO: Brand USA's new IMAX experience. (Photo courtesy Brand USA)
Brand USA, the public/private partnership created to increase international visitation to the U.S., has released the official trailer for "National Parks Adventure," its upcoming giant-screen film that will launch on Feb. 12, 2016, and be shown domestically and in countries around the world with the intention of enticing travelers to visit the U.S.
The inspiration behind the making of the film was Brand USA's goal of driving 100 million inbound visitors to the U.S. by 2021.
"We have a big story to tell, and the largest most immersive way to tell this story is with a 3-D IMAX film," said Brand USA Senior Vice President Tom Garzillii.
Brand USA chose IMAX filmmaker MacGillivray Freeman Films, who tells the story in partnership with Subaru, REI and Expedia. The film is narrated by Robert Redford and combines the history of how the national parks came to be 100 years ago when President Theodore Roosevelt began the National Parks Service, with the story of three adventure enthusiasts who make their way through parks around the country. Seeing the film will give audiences a big-screen experience of what it's like to travel through these iconic destinations.
"National Parks Adventure" has already been picked up by multiple cities around the world including in countries such as Canada, Mexico, the UK, the Netherlands, China and more. The film will continue to be picked up in theaters around the world throughout the year, according to Garzillii.
"We are targeting the giant screens in science centers, museums and other attractions," he said. "These places have the audiences that we want to be talking to. They also take the film for an extended period of time, often up to a year or more."
The film will also be in multiple large-screen formats suitable for a wide range of theaters as well as viewable in 2-D and 3-D.
Brand USA will also be doing a series of events in conjunction with showings of "National Parks Adventure." These events will kick off with a premiere in Washington, D.C. and be followed by consumer and trade events in a number of the countries where the film is showing.
"We will try to do events in just about every city where the film shows, said Garzillii. "It may not be when the film first debuts, but at some point while the film is showing, especially for trade partners, we will be there."
The goal of these events, like the film, is to increase the number of visitors who are intent on coming to visit and experience the U.S.
"For Brand USA, this will reinforce to consumers all of the different experiences that they can have when visiting the U.S.," said Garzillii.
"National Parks Adventure" is just the first in a series of IMAX films that are planned by Brand USA. The next film will focus more on urban culture, innovation and music.
"It will be a complementary experience to this kind of film," said Garzillii. "It is something that we can uniquely do to tell our story around the world."
Work on the first film hasn't finished, so the next one is still a long way off. But Garzillii is looking forward to continuing the experience.
"It's been amazing, I have learned a whole new industry," he said.
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