Do you feel that? The final Oscar window voting is mere days away, which means distributors are pulling out all the stops to have their nominees gain a bit more share of the spotlight. The latest development comes from A24 and Darren Aronofsky, attempting to bring some attention to their divisive drama The Whale and its Best Actor contender Brendan Fraser by going back to the director’s roots.
For Pi Day on 3.14, they will be releasing a new 8K and Atmos restoration of Aronofsky’s debut Pi (better known as π) in IMAX theaters for the film’s 25th anniversary. The event includes a live Q&A with Aronofsky, cinematographer Matthew Libatique, composer Clint Mansell, actor Sean Gullette and other special guests live from Los Angeles followed by a screening of the restored film. The 1998 surrealist psychological thriller stars Gullette as a mathematician who becomes obsessed with searching for patterns in the universe as part of a quest for meaning.
“25 years ago, when we were just kids at Sundance, I was inspired by my hero Jim Jarmusch to fight for the rights of the film to return to the filmmakers,” Aronofsky tells Variety. “It took almost a quarter of a century, but time flies. In anticipation of this moment, we went back to the original black and white reversal 16mm film and scanned it at 8K. We also turned our original stereo mix into an Atmos experience. Everyone thought we were a little crazy but the film has never looked or sounded better. I am excited to team up with A24 and release this on Pi Day in Imax. I look forward to seeing everyone back in the theater soon.”
See the new trailer and poster below, and get tickets here.
Pi plays on IMAX on March 14.