Toni Myers, who directed Imax films ‘A Beautiful Planet’ and ‘Hubble 3D,’ dies at 75
Toni Myers, a filmmaker who created awe-inspiring images for the Imax screen in documentaries including “A Beautiful Planet” and “Hubble 3D,” has died. She was 75.
Myers died Monday at her home in Toronto. She had been diagnosed with cancer in October, according to an Imax spokesperson.
In her long association with Imax, Myers worked as an editor, writer and producer before graduating to directing documentaries for the giant-screen format.
Her space-themed movies were tremendous technical and logistical undertakings that required the use of complex Imax cameras in zero-gravity environments.
In a box-office climate that usually marginalizes documentaries, Myers’ visually stunning movies achieved crossover appeal with audiences worldwide.
Myers’ most recent directorial effort was 2016’s “A Beautiful Planet,” which featured Imax footage shot by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The 46-minute movie, narrated by Jennifer Lawrence, played in Imax cinemas around the world and grossed more than $24 million.
“Hubble 3D,” released in 2010, did even better, raking in $73.7 million worldwide. The movie featured footage from the space shuttle Atlantis on its mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, “Hubble” was praised for its stunning 3-D shots of the astronaut’s space work as well as deep space formation as captured by the telescope.
Myers’ career took off in 1965, after moving from Toronto to New York, where she met Graeme Ferguson, who would become the co-inventor and co-founder of Imax. She worked nearly three decades as an editor and writer on such Imax movies as “Blue Planet” and “Rolling Stones at the Max.”
Her first Imax movie as director was “Space Station 3D,” released in 2002.
Myers was recently invested as an officer in the Order of Canada and was presented with NASA’s highest civilian medal by three former astronauts in December. She received the Giant Screen Cinema Assn.’s Outstanding Achievement Award from her peers in September.
Myers’ husband, Michael, died in 2010. Her survivors include her son, Jackson, and granddaughter, Lola.
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