SOME BIG WINNERS FROM THE NHU…

Mysteries of the Ocean Wanderers, 1993, 1 hour.

Winner of 18 international awards and accolades for music, sound, cinematography and content, including: Wildscreen’s WWF Golden Panda award for the Best Production of the Past Two Years, and a first place tie for the Best Ecological/ Environmental Program at the 17th Annual Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula.

The Big Wet, 1993, 1 hour.

Took 13 awards, including a gold medal in the best camerawork category at the 37th New York Film Festival.

Wolves of the Sea, 1993, 1 hour.

Has won a total of 29 international accreditations, the highlight of which was an Emmy in the Special Classification for Outstanding News and Documentary Program Achievement Category. The special was also nominated for a cinematography Emmy.

Nature of Australia, 1988, 6 x 1 hours.

The different episodes of the series gathered 36 awards and accolades from such festivals as Missoula, Wildscreen, The Pacific Festival of International Nature Films, as well as the Prize Awarded for High Artistic Level by the Journalists’ Union of Russia.

NEW PRODUCTIONS FROM ABC’s NATURAL HISTORY UNIT

Islands of the Vampires

A one-hour look at Darwin’s finches, and their relationship with the rest of the creatures of the Galapagos. The special will explore some odd bird behavior – like a somewhat anti-social tendency towards blood-sucking. Islands will also look at the creation of the Galapagos and the evolution of this closed system. The special is a coproduction with National Geographic, the BBC, and Telepool Germany. Ready for March of 1999, the hour carries a budget of roughly US$400,000.

Two Years in Galapagos

Two Years is an hour-long film which tracks the life of the NHU’s Parer family, as they film iguanas on an active volcano in the Galapagos. Family outings include underwater treks to film sea lions, penguins and hammerhead sharks. Home movies will never be the same. National Geographic is coproducing this US$250,000 special, which will be ready for February 1999.

The Living Edens: Kakadu

The NHU’s contribution to this successful series follows the life of the world’s biggest and most dangerous crocodile through a cycle of seasons in Australia’s Kakadu National Park. Coproduced with Washington’s ABC/Kane, the one-hour has a budget of roughly US$450,000. Kakadu should be ready for late fall.

‘They Shoot Crocs, Don’t They?’

Crocs is an intimate account of a filmmaker’s year in a tropical national park on the trail of giant crocodiles. Ready for August, the one-hour is being completed for about US$200,000.

Australia: Eye of the Storm

Eye is an ambitious 4 x 1-hour series which looks at the extraordinary natural events which have shaped this massive country. From El Nino to seasonal flooding, monsoons to the influences of the frozen Antarctic, Australia suffers through extremes in climate which influence all life. Coproduced with Telcast Germany and Channel 4 in the U.K., the series should be wrapped up by September 1999, at a budget of over US$2.5 million.

Storm Chasers

As a companion to Eye of the Storm, Storm Chasers is also a one-hour `making-of’, which should be completed in July of 1999. The budget for the special is expected to ring in near US$200,000.