Melissa Lesh

Back from war in Afghanistan, a young British soldier struggling with depression and PTSD finds a second chance in the Amazon rainforest when he meets an American scientist, and together they foster an orphaned baby ocelot.

In the vanishing lowland rainforests of Borneo, research is underway to uncover and understand the unique cultural behaviors in wild orangutans. There, photographer Tim Laman, researcher Cheryl Knott, and young explorer Robert Suro shed new light on the similarities between ourselves and our ancient ancestors, before it’s too late.

Hidden deep within the Pony Pasture Rapids Park of Richmond, Virginia there lives a creature whose ancestors span back a half a billion years. This short film explores the life history of an ancient species, Fairy Shrimp, that survive in harsh habitats here and around the world.

The Story of Plastic is a seething expose uncovering the ugly truth behind the current global plastic pollution crisis. Striking footage shot over three continents illustrates the ongoing catastrophe: fields full of garbage, veritable mountains of trash; rivers and seas clogged with waste; and skies choked with the poisonous runoff from plastic production and recycling processes with no end in sight. Original animations, interviews with experts and activists, and never-before-filmed scenes reveal the disastrous consequences of the flood of plastic smothering ecosystems and poisoning communities around the world – and the global movement rising up in response.

a documentary about crocodiles

From water to air the lives of Odonates undergo dramatic change. This short film explores the life of an insect that predates the dinosaurs by 100 million years. Dragonflies and Damselflies were the first aerial predators, dominating the sky with powerful two and a half ft wingspans. Today they are smaller but there are 6,000 species worldwide. Here in James River Park we discover their unique abilities through flight, sight, and reproduction.

Research is underway at Virginia Commonwealth University to uncover the secrets of a charismatic, endangered species, the Atlantic sturgeon. This short documentary follows Dr. Matt Balazik as he discovers, for the first time, the sturgeon migration using acoustic transmitter tags.