Directors: David Clark, Al Giddings
Writers: Roger Payne (writer), Mose Richards (writer)
Genre: Documentary | Short
Plot: Scientists visit the remote surface and undersea locations to study various species of whales in their natural habitat.

Director: Greg MacGillivray
Writer (WGA): Mark Olshaker (written by)
Prepare to take a ride inside some of the most extreme weather conditions experienced on earth. Hurricanes, monsoons, and tornadoes are the stars of Stormchasers, an exhilarating large-format film by MacGilliv Freeman films.

Director: Soames Summerhays
Writer: Michael Parfit (written by)

Using revolutionary cameras, the directors of this French film (with minimal English-language narration) have made an amazing chronicle of the insect world. There are at least a dozen fascinating, memorable images, and the carnage is held to a minimum. Some favorites include a caterpillar traffic jam, a frog’s bout with a rain storm, and a bird that turns into Godzilla for a bunch of ants. Then there’s the snail mating scene that must be seen to be believed.

Deep in the jungles of Guatemala, a black jaguar prowls the ruins of Tikal, a Mayan city that has lain abandoned for a thousand years. What can its fate tell us about our own cities, our own society? To find out, join narrator Harrison Ford on an exploration of the mysteries of our planet’s biological diversity.

Directed by Stephen Judson (Everest, the Oscar?-nominated short Dolphins) and narrated by Liam Neeson (the voice behind Everest and The Endurance), Journey into Amazing Caves centers around the work of “cavers” Nancy Aulenbach and Dr. Hazel Barton. Aulenbach is a teacher from Georgia, and Barton, a microbiologist from England.

Director: Howard Hall
Writer: Thomas Friedman (narration written by)
Genre: Documentary

The Greatest Places begins by noting that Earth is “the most diverse planet in the solar system,” and impressive computer-generated graphics depict the very early history of the planet, showing vividly how geological events formed the continents. Particular sites around the world (the “greatest places” of the title) are then visited, and some dazzling cinematography displays the exotic locations spectacularly.

Director: Kieth Merrill
Writer: Kieth Merrill (creator)
Genre: Documentary | Short