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THE giant screen experience

Open an Ocean of Possibilities...

Volcanoes of the Deep Sea reveals the astounding sights that lie 12,000 feet below the surface of the ocean, while delivering a real-life tale of mystery as scientists search for an animal that may be one of Earth's greatest survivors—an ancient species that is decorating the deep sea floor with its strange hexagonal trademark. In pursuit of this elusive animal and an understanding of its mysterious habitat, the film propels audiences from the dramatic sea cliffs of Spain, through two oceans, into deep-sea sites dense with astounding life forms and even into the far reaches of space.

The submersible Alvin drops into the depths — miles below the ocean surface, to a world that looks like it came from the overheated imagination of a science fiction writer. Overheated it may be, with temperatures hot enough to melt lead, but this alien, underwater world, completely unknown just a few short decades ago, is real. It may well hold the keys to understanding the nature of life on Earth. Yet, until now, only a select few have ever experienced it's magic.

shaping the film

A Synergy of Science and Cinema

The Volcanoes of the Deep Sea giant screen experience is the product of a unique international collaboration between filmmakers and members of the science research community. The film is produced by The Stephen Low Company in association with Rutgers University. Major funding for the project is provided to Rutgers by the National Science Foundation.

in focus

A New View of Earth

Volcanoes of the Deep Sea brings to the giant screen a new vision of the deep sea and of the ocean planet, challenging us to wonder about the connections between life in Earth’s dark and toxic gardens, life under the sun — and the possibilities for life out among the stars.

The Vents

At the heart of Volcanoes of the Deep Sea are hydrothermal vents — communities of life thriving in the most extreme environment on Earth. Scientific investigation of deep-sea vents has yielded astounding discoveries, opened up important new avenues for science and begun to transform our understanding of life on this planet, and on others. Among the discoveries: dense communities of creatures fueled not by sunlight, but by Earth's own heat and chemistry; microbes that thrive in water hot enough to boil a lobster; keys to the origin and evolution of life on Earth and; organisms that have survived essentially unchanged through tens of millions of years of turbulent planetary history.

The Volcanoes of the Deep Sea giant screen experience is an immersive introduction to this fantastic world of discovery. The film delivers the first extensively lit views of vent habitats ever seen by the public. (Even scientists at the leading edge of vent research are seeing this environment as they have never seen it before). The film also tracks a real scientific investigation, following scientists as they unravel the mystery of the Paleodictyon—a modern link to Earth's ancient oceans.