Wild Salmon Film to Swim into Giant Screen Theaters in 2025

For the first time ever, the profound and mystical journey of wild Pacific salmon will arrive in giant screen theaters around the world starting late next year. The new film in production from a team of seasoned giant screen veterans will be set in one of the Earth’s wildest, most pristine, and threatened places – the stunning mountainous river systems of the North Pacific.

The film will explore the interdependence of wild salmon and a web of iconic wildlife–from grizzly and black bears, orca whales, sea lions, wolves, wolverines, to eagles and ospreys. The film will introduce millions of families to the fragile ecosystems that salmon and so many other species depend upon through the immersive power of IMAX and giant screens across the globe.

“We aim to inspire a generation to work to protect the precious North Pacific, that vast, rich salmon land- and seascape that arcs northwest from San Francisco, all the way to Tokyo,” says Guido Rahr, CEO of the Portland-based Wild Salmon Center, the lead conservation partner and scientific advisor of the film.

Filming is taking place in numerous key locations around the North Pacific. Denver-based Dorsey Pictures, Mission Partners Entertainment Group, and the Chicago-based Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, which teamed-up to create the award-winning Wings Over Water 3D film narrated by Michael Keaton and the soon to be released Secrets of Great Salt Lake 3D, will serve as executive producers.

Leading the creative charge is award-winning filmmaker Myles Connolly (Blue Whales: Return of the Giants, The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness, Oceans), whose vision aims to spotlight the ecological significance of Pacific salmon’s journey. Veteran Giant Screen producer Diane Roberts (Rolling Stones At The Max, Fires of Kuwait, Secrets of Life on Earth) will supervise the production. Line producer Greg Eliason (Tree of Life, Forces of Nature, Superpower Dogs), will join the team to ensure the project’s success.

“As a filmmaker, the story of Pacific salmon presents an eye-opening opportunity,” director Myles Connolly said. “These amazing creatures represent the delicate balance of ecosystems, pivotal yet often overlooked. Their journey from freshwater to ocean and back epitomizes the heroic resilience of nature. I’m excited to share their life history with audiences around the world, emphasizing their ecological importance and the pressing need for conservation. Our story and our fates are intertwined.”

“Pacific salmon and steelhead occupy some of the planet’s most stunning and dramatic land- and seascapes,” said Chris Dorsey, founder and CEO of Dorsey Pictures and Mission Partners Entertainment Group. “We are delighted to have Myles directing this film, given his wealth of giant screen experience and success. And we’re excited to bring this film and its story of hope to giant screens around the world.”

Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation and Mission Partners Entertainment Group are spearheading the world’s largest, interactive salmon and wildlife curriculum which will serve more than 10,000 school systems across North America and beyond reaching 8 million students weekly. The film will be delivered in both 3D and 2D formats in multiple languages and will play downstream in linear and streaming platforms globally.

“Through the inspirational story of wild salmon, students and their families will discover the vast coastal ecosystems of the North Pacific,” said Charles S. Potter, President and CEO of Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation. “This film will be an exciting and visually stunning gateway to STEM education on key topics impacting wildlife and people. We will use our vast network of school systems to supercharge theater attendance as the cornerstone feature of our multi-faceted, sustained outreach. It’s not simply about making a movie…it’s about launching a movement to save these keystone species.”

Wild Salmon Center, which anchors a worldwide network of leading salmon scientists and advocates, will provide scientific support to the project, and develop a companion impact campaign to accelerate conservation across the region.

“After 30 years working to save wild salmon and their stronghold rivers across the North Pacific, we’re excited, on behalf of our partners, to bring this urgent, hopeful story in immersive form to people everywhere,” says Rahr. “Understanding, connecting with, and protecting this wild arc of the North Pacific is key to our future as a human species.”