MacGillivray Freeman Films is an American film production company specializing in large-format, immersive, and educational cinematic experiences for global audiences. The company is led by Shaun MacGillivray, who serves as president, executive producer, and director. MacGillivray Freeman Films collaborates with a wide range of partnersâÂÂincluding major brands, museums, tourism boards, non-profit organizations, NGOs, foundations, and associationsâÂÂto produce films and media projects across a variety of scales and budgets. In addition to filmmaking, the company develops and implements large-scale public outreach and educational initiatives designed to extend the impact of its work beyond the screen.
MacGillivray Freeman Films was established in 1963 in Laguna Beach, California, by Greg MacGillivray and Jim Freeman. Greg MacGillivray began making films when he was 13 and later partnered with his best friend, Jim Freeman, to form MacGillivray Freeman Films. In 1966, at the age of 19, the two dropped out of college to make movies full time starting with a film in South America after the success of one of their first surfing documentaries, Free and Easy, which recouped its production costs after only 10 screenings.
In the ensuing years, MacGillivray and Freeman produced a series of documentaries about surfing and skateboarding, pioneering a cinematic perspective for the genre by putting the viewer in the middle of the action via board-mounted cameras.
MacGillivray has produced and directed more than 50 films, 40 of which are IMAX, and has developed three IMAX cameras: a high-speed (slow-motion) model, a lightweight model and the âÂÂall-weatherâ camera he used while filming on Mt. Everest.
MacGillivray Freeman Films is best known for producing large-format and documentary films that explore science, nature, culture, engineering, and human achievement. The company has released numerous IMAXî and giant-screen films exhibited in museums, science centers, and theaters worldwide, often combining cinematic storytelling with educational objectives. Its productions frequently involve collaborations with scientists, engineers, educators, and cultural institutions, and are accompanied by educational materials and outreach programs designed to engage students and lifelong learners. Through its documentaries and films, MacGillivray Freeman Films aims to make complex subjects accessible to broad audiences while emphasizing immersive visual experiences.
Most well known for its IMAX films, the studio has produced and distributed 40 IMAX films since 1974. Its first IMAX film, To Fly!, produced for the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum, was later selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Film Registry.
Two of its films, Dolphins (2000) and The Living Sea (1995), were nominated for Academy Awards. Its film Everest (1998) appeared on Varietys Top 10 Box Office chart for North America.
The company's films have received nominations and awards from the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA).
Below is a list of films and television commercials produced and/or distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films.
In 2004, Greg MacGillivray and his wife Barbara founded the non-profit MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation to contribute to the conservation of the world's natural and cultural heritage through giant screen films and companion educational programming.
MacGillivray Freeman established the One World One Ocean campaign, with Managing Director and Producer Shaun MacGillivray since 2012, which, along with other organizations, was featured in Laguna Beach Eco Heroes, a 30-minute documentary by The My Hero Project. The efforts of the Crystal Cove Alliance, ECO Warrior, Laguna Bluebelt, Laguna Canyon Foundation, Nancy Caruso, Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Wyland, and Zero Trash Laguna were also highlighted in the documentary.