Directing

Greg MacGillivray

Born 1945-01-01 · San Diego, California, United States

Greg MacGillivray is an American film director and producer renowned for his contributions to the IMAX film format. He began making films at the age of 13 and, in 1966, co-founded MacGillivray Freeman Films with Jim Freeman. The company has produced over 60 films, including more than 40 IMAX productions. Notable works include To Fly! (1976), Everest (1998), and National Parks Adventure (2016).

Acting credits

The Making of The Alps poster
NR

"This is a look behind the scenes at the making of the Imax movie 'The Alps' and delves in to the detail of moments in the film as well as preparation for shooting on the mountain. There are interviews with producers, the director, editor, and the principles of the film who share stories of the making of the film. Featuring some of the most spectacular giant screen imagery ever seen – captured by intrepid helicopter and mountaineering crews – The Making of The Alps was a vastly ambitious undertaking that involved a team made up of climbing luminaries, hardy mountain guides and award-winning nature cinematographers."

The Making of The Alps

2007

The Making of Everest poster
10.0

How was this IMPOSSIBLE movie actually filmed? Photographing the world's largest mountain in the world's largest film format demanded more than just strength and courage; it required dedication and purpose. During shooting, our filming schedule took an unexpected turn when eight climbers from other expeditions died in a sudden storm high on the mountain. Safe from the disaster, our film team helped launch a rescue. Re-live the events of those dramatic days which captured the world's attention, and hear about our team's heroic ascent of EVEREST to photograph the first large format film images from the top of the world. Summit day was heartfelt, especially for our climbing leader, Jamling Norgay, whose father is a Sherpa climbing legend. A devout Buddhist, Jamling deeply respects the mountain and its deities. The tragedy and triumph of Jamling's team reminds us of the importance and presence of spirit, not just on the mountain, but everywhere and always.

The Making of Everest

1998

Behind the camera

The Discoverers poster
5.2

The advance of civilization has always depended on the few courageous individuals who are willing to risk reputation and life to seek out the new. This program chronicles the story of some of the world's pathfinders and innovators in a variety of fields, from Madame Curie and Sir Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein. Archival photographs, film clips, interviews, re-enactments, and scholarly commentary are used to tell the story of the discoverers.

The Discoverers

1993

Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk poster
5.5

A documentary about a 15-day river-rafting trip on the Colorado River aimed at highlighting water conservation issues.

Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk

2008

Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk poster
5.5

A documentary about a 15-day river-rafting trip on the Colorado River aimed at highlighting water conservation issues.

Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk

2008

Humpback Whales poster
7.1

Humpback Whales takes audiences to Alaska, Hawaii and the Kingdom of Tonga for a close-up look at how these whales communicate, sing, feed, play and take care of their young. Humpbacks were nearly driven to extinction 50 years ago, but today are making a steady recovery. Join a team of researchers as they explore what makes humpbacks the most acrobatic of all whales, why only the males sing, and why these intelligent 50-foot, 48-ton animals migrate more than 6,000 miles round-trip every year.

Humpback Whales

2015

Ireland poster
5.0

A joyful adventure through Ireland following Irish writer Manchán Magan, joined by Irish concert violinist Patricia Treacey and four teen music students who together discover new insight into their Irish traditions and culture.

Ireland

2022

Everest poster
6.7

An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return to Base Camp. It also shows many of the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, treacherous ice walls, and a deadly blizzard.

Everest

1998

To Fly! poster
6.3

Early IMAX documentary about the development of human flight.

To Fly!

1976

To Fly! poster
6.3

Early IMAX documentary about the development of human flight.

To Fly!

1976

To Fly! poster
6.3

Early IMAX documentary about the development of human flight.

To Fly!

1976

Coral Reef Adventure poster
6.5

Coral Reef Adventure follows the real-life expedition of ocean explorers and underwater filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall. Using large-format cameras, the Halls guide us to the islands and sun-drenched waters of the South Pacific to document the health and beauty of coral reefs. Featuring songs written and recorded by Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Coral Reef Adventure

2003

Coral Reef Adventure poster
6.5

Coral Reef Adventure follows the real-life expedition of ocean explorers and underwater filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall. Using large-format cameras, the Halls guide us to the islands and sun-drenched waters of the South Pacific to document the health and beauty of coral reefs. Featuring songs written and recorded by Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Coral Reef Adventure

2003

The Alps - Climb of Your Life poster
6.8

In 1966, John Harlin II died while attempting Europe's most difficult climb, the North Face of the Eiger in Switzerland. 40 years later, his son John Harlin III, an expert mountaineer and the editor of the American Alpine Journal, returns to attempt the same climb.

The Alps - Climb of Your Life

2007

Dolphins poster
6.1

From the banks of the Bahamas to the seas of Argentina, we go underwater to meet dolphins. Two scientists who study dolphin communication and behaviour lead us on encounters in the wild. Featuring the music of Sting. Nominated for an Academy Award®, Best Documentary, Short Subject, 2000.

Dolphins

2000

Dolphins poster
6.1

From the banks of the Bahamas to the seas of Argentina, we go underwater to meet dolphins. Two scientists who study dolphin communication and behaviour lead us on encounters in the wild. Featuring the music of Sting. Nominated for an Academy Award®, Best Documentary, Short Subject, 2000.

Dolphins

2000

To the Arctic 3D poster
6.5

A journey into the lives of a mother polar bear and her two seven-month-old cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home.

To the Arctic 3D

2012

To the Arctic 3D poster
6.5

A journey into the lives of a mother polar bear and her two seven-month-old cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home.

To the Arctic 3D

2012

Stormchasers poster
6.5

Track monsoons, hurricanes, blizzards, and tornadoes. Take a journey around the planet to experience our most extreme storms and to witness the dramatic--and often perilous--efforts of scientists in the pursuit of understanding weather.Join meteorologists in the cockpit of a P-3 weather plane as they penetrate the eye of a hurricane; and in the tense, decisive moments on the road as they focus their radar on an approaching tornado, traveling to the heart of severe storms to learn what makes weather systems tick. Experience the bumpy ride into the sudden and spectacular calm of a hurricane’s eye, or the commando-like raid to the very brink of a killer tornado, and experience one of the elemental joys of doing science: that of confronting nature head-on to divine its awesome secrets.

Stormchasers

1995

The Living Sea poster
7.0

The Living Sea celebrates the beauty and power of the ocean as it explores our relationship with this complex and fragile environment. Using beautiful images of unspoiled healthy waters, The Living Sea offers hope for recovery engendered by productive scientific efforts. Oceanographers studying humpback whales, jellyfish, and deep-sea life show us that the more we understand the ocean and its inhabitants, the more we will know how to protect them. The film also highlights the Central Pacific islands of Palau, one of the most spectacular underwater habitats in the world, to show the beauty and potential of a healthy ocean.

The Living Sea

1995

The Living Sea poster
7.0

The Living Sea celebrates the beauty and power of the ocean as it explores our relationship with this complex and fragile environment. Using beautiful images of unspoiled healthy waters, The Living Sea offers hope for recovery engendered by productive scientific efforts. Oceanographers studying humpback whales, jellyfish, and deep-sea life show us that the more we understand the ocean and its inhabitants, the more we will know how to protect them. The film also highlights the Central Pacific islands of Palau, one of the most spectacular underwater habitats in the world, to show the beauty and potential of a healthy ocean.

The Living Sea

1995

Hurricane on the Bayou poster
5.8

The film "Hurricane on the Bayou" is about the wetlands of Louisiana before and after Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane on the Bayou

2006

National Parks Adventure poster
6.9

Narrated by Academy Award winner Robert Redford, National Parks Adventure takes audiences on the ultimate off-trail adventure into the nation’s awe-inspiring great outdoors and untamed wilderness. Immersive IMAX 3D cinematography takes viewers soaring over red rock canyons, hurtling up craggy mountain peaks and into other-worldly realms found within America’s most legendary outdoor playgrounds, including Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Yosemite, and Arches. Celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the national parks with world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker, adventure photographer Max Lowe and artist Rachel Pohl as they hike, climb and explore their way across America’s majestic parks in an action-packed expedition that will inspire the adventurer in us all.

National Parks Adventure

2016

The Magic of Flight poster
6.9

Take a technological thrill ride The Magic of Flight takes you on a technological thrill ride faster, higher and wider than modern science or even your imagination! Relive the first flight of the Wright Brothers, then soar with the Blue Angels as they defy the laws of gravity. Narrated by Tom Selleck.

The Magic of Flight

1996

The Magic of Flight poster
6.9

Take a technological thrill ride The Magic of Flight takes you on a technological thrill ride faster, higher and wider than modern science or even your imagination! Relive the first flight of the Wright Brothers, then soar with the Blue Angels as they defy the laws of gravity. Narrated by Tom Selleck.

The Magic of Flight

1996

Journey into Amazing Caves poster
6.5

Journey into Amazing Caves is an extraordinary IMAX adventure into the depths of the earth to uncover the secrets to life underground.

Journey into Amazing Caves

2001