The First IMAX film to be released, it premiered at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. It was shown in the Fuji Group Pavilion, at the time the largest air-inflated structure in the world.
IMAX format camera was invented by Norwegian master camera inventor, Jan Jacobsen. As we prepared to travel to Kenya for the first IMAX shoot on the first IMAX film, Tiger Child, for the Fuji Pavilion at the Osaka '70 Worlds Fair, Jan was delayed a few weeks in finishing construction of the first IMAX camera. (As production manager and 2nd unit director this was stressful to say the least.) When it arrived at the camera department NFB in Montreal for testing we realized there was no time left for the simplest field test. We did a rapid 'bench test' and all seemed fine. We then shipped it with all our 19 silver cases of camera, sound and assorted equipment by air to Nairobi. All of this was to be on our plane and arrive with us. Everything arrived (we shot in 70mm turned on its side and 35 mm as well for this multi-screen film) except the IMAX camera was erroneously shipped and found 3 weeks later in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, airport. We had begun shooting and no time was lost in our schedule.
Donald Brittain the brilliant director and we traveled to 14 countries on our surveys and shot in 10 countries.