It is "Amazon," and it is now a new, large format film that will take you on a discovery of its wonders, inhabitants and remarkable healing powers. It is open now at the Imax® Dome Theatre at the Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa.

For centuries, the mighty Amazon has been the obsession of explorers, scientists and anthropologists the world over. Now, Academy Award-winning director Keith Merrill ("Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets") reveals the wonder of the Amazon to filmgoers everywhere. The 40-minute film was filmed entirely in the Amazon basin and features narration by the Academy Award-nominated actress Linda Hunt ("Year of Living Dangerously") and music by Mickey Hart, world music percussionist and former band member of The Grateful Dead.

"Amazon" is both a beautifully captured travelogue and a captivating story of two "medicine men," from vastly different worlds, sharing a common quest. We join tribal shaman Mamani and American ethnobotonist Mark Plotkin on their search for the medicinal qualities of native plants. Here, western medical science meets the myth and magic of Indian shamanism. This real collaboration can bring cures to diseases not yet conquered.

Along the journey, we are guided through the Amazon region. From its source high in the Andes, through rainforests across South America, we are introduced to an exotic menagerie of animals, including the jaguar, tapir, pipa toad and sloth. In addition, we have a "you-are-there" experience with several water animals, such as boto dolphins, electric eels, fula piranha and pirarucu -- a fish that can exceed 6 feet in length and weigh 300 pounds.

"Amazon" opens a world of beauty, mystique and importance to filmgoers. Its large-screen format makes the film stay with you long after leaving the theater.

MOSI is located at 4801 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa. It opens daily at 9 a.m., is wheelchair-accessible and offers free parking. For more information, call (813) 987-6100.