Arabia Omnitheater film will reveal the extraordinary culture, history and humanity behind the mystery of the Arabian Peninsula

Brand new giant screen film makes its debut March 12, 2010

Download Arabia press photos here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 21, 2010
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St. Paul, Minn. – On March 12, 2010, the Science Museum of Minnesota will debut a brand new giant screen film called Arabia. This is the first film production to be granted access to more than 20 locations in Arabia and offers an unprecedented look at a rich culture, history and religion that has long been hidden from the West. For more than 2,000 years, its people have flourished in one of the harshest environments on the planet.

"The Omnitheater's 9-story domed screen will transport audience members to a fascinating land that most will never experience on their own," says Mike Day, senior vice president for museum enterprises at the Science Museum of Minnesota. "The film does a beautiful job in raising awareness and providing a deeper understanding of the Arabian history, science, and culture."

Arabia takes viewers deep into the heart of this exotic land where they'll experience firsthand the mystique of Arabia both past and present. Audiences will discover the lost city of Madain Saleh and explore its ancient tombs; they will travel with a camel caravan along the early frankincense trade route; they will share in the lamp-lit warmth of a Bedouin family tent and travel back in time to the Islamic Golden Age where Arabian science and scholarship flourished; and they will survive a desert sandstorm and dive the coral reefs and ancient shipwrecks of the dazzling Red Sea.

Viewers will also join in the extraordinary pilgrimage known as the hajj where every year 3 million Muslims arrive in the holy city of Meccah to reaffirm their faith, creating the largest single human gathering on Earth. In a series of stunning time-lapse images, Arabia takes viewers deep inside this holiest of cities for a climactic scene of spiritual renewal.

The story spans 2,000 years of Arabian history but is told by three vibrant, modern-day Arabian citizens, each invested in learning more about their history and culture. The film's real-life guides are Hamzah Jamjoom, a Saudi Arabian film student at Chicago's De Paul University who returns home to make a film about his heritage; Nimah Mawwab, a writer, poet and photographer who provides a young woman's perspective on Arabia; and leading Arabian archaeologist Dr. Daifallah Al-Talhi, who is digging into his people's incredible past in the lost Nabataean city of Madain Saleh.

Arabia is produced and distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films. The film is directed by Greg MacGillivray and produced by MacGillivray and Mark Krenzien from a screenplay by Jack Stephens.

Visitor Information
Arabia will run daily in the Omnitheater after its March 12 opening. Tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for children and seniors. (Combination exhibit gallery and Omnitheater tickets are also available.) Advance reservations are recommended. For more information or to purchase tickets, visitors may log on to www.smm.org or call (651) 221-9444.

The Science Museum of Minnesota serves more than one million visitors each year with its hands-on exhibits, breathtaking giant screen films, special events, and unparalleled education programs. It is located at 120 West Kellogg Boulevard in downtown St. Paul. For specific directions, parking information, hours, show times and ticket information, call (651) 221-9444 or visit www.smm.org.

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