Last time Drew Fellman and David Douglas teamed with Morgan Freeman in 2011, they had the Oscar-winning actor narrate “Born to Be Wild,” their IMAX 3D documentary about orphaned animals. So it was only natural when Fellman returned as writer-director for another documentary about wildlife in peril, “Island of Lemurs: Madagascar,” they brought back both Freeman and Douglas, who stepped in as director after serving as director of photography on “Wild.”
This time the hero of the story is primatologist Patricia Wright, who fights to protect the fragile ecosystem of the lemurs, who have been around since the time of the dinosaurs. But with their numbers dwindling to dangerous levels, it’s films like “Lemurs” that she hopes raises awareness and funds that will help boost her efforts.
“We’re hoping this can help save them,” she said at the premiere. “They are on the brink of extinction.”
“If I’ve helped her just a little bit, then I feel like I’ve done my part,” said Douglas.
Introducing the film on the venue’s giant IMAX screen, Freeman said of Wright, “Patricia Wright is our inspiration and our guiding light, and I mean that literally because she has the best flashlights in Madagascar.”