IMMERSIVE

Short Talk with Rohan Thomas (director)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM Category

22nd IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival 2025

Norway, Documentary, English, 00:22:36, 2024

Synopsis: 'Immersive' takes viewers on a captivating journey into the depths of the ocean, where oceanographer Thibaut Barreyre and director Rohan Thomas uncover hidden wonders. As they explore the enigmatic world of hydrothermal vents and the unique ecosystems they sustain, an unsettling truth is revealed: these fragile environments are at risk from the growing threat of deep-sea mining. With a focus on discovery and conservation, the film invites viewers to reflect on the unseen world beneath the surface and the urgent need to protect it.

Biography: Rohan Thomas is an itinerant explorer who has lived across three continents, he is driven by a creative practice with a psycho-geographic approach to place, the natural world, and media. His multi-disciplinary approach includes painting, sound, music, and cinematography. As a video artist, he also engages in theatre production and multimedia installation.

Rohan Thomas, director

Toma Manov: Your documentary is not only about discovering the fascinating processes happening on the ocean floor, it also carries a deeper, more reflective message. Documentaries like this often use a very serious or authoritative voice, but here, the narrator sounds almost like a child, beautiful and delicate. How did that decision come about? Were you involved in the casting?

Rohan Thomas: Yes, very much so. The narrator is Zazie Hayhurst. I’ve known her since she was three, she was actually our next-door neighbour, and she was about fifteen when we recorded the voiceover. I went through a few different stages trying to figure out who the narrator should be. I also cut the film myself, I work as an editor as well, so at first, I tried using my own voice for temp tracks, which was terrifying, honestly. I had a friend help out with a few versions.

But then I thought, "Hang on, what if Zazie tried it?" Her dad, Dan, is a close friend and also did the music for the film. I asked him what he thought, and we just tried it. As soon as I placed her voice over the footage, it transformed the film. It became a message from the younger generation, to us, to the future. It brought in this sense of urgency and innocence at the same time. It felt right. So like many parts of the film, it was a close collaboration with friends, and Zazie is one of those friends.

Toma Manov: And do you have a broader fascination with unexplored or extreme environments, like space? Or was this project specifically about the ocean?

Rohan Thomas: Honestly, I didn’t know much about the deep sea before this. A good friend of mine, Thibaut, is an oceanographer, we met through surfing, actually, and one day he suggested we do something together. He thought he might be able to secure some funding. That’s where it all started. I had to do a lot of learning really quickly. But I’ve always been curious about the unknown, so even though I wasn’t an expert, it was a space I was happy to dive into, no pun intended.

And yes, it became a huge learning process. On a personal level, I understand much more now about the planet than I ever did before. I can’t really unlearn it. Even now, if I see a rock, I’ll wonder how it formed, what pressures shaped it. It’s changed the way I see things, and it’s definitely going to shape my future work.

Toma Manov: And as the director, were you able to be physically present for some of the more scientific aspects, like the submersible dives? Or are those operations limited to a specialized crew?

Rohan Thomas: That’s a great question. The footage in the film is actually compiled from various voyages and dives. There was one particular cruise in the Arctic where we were meant to join the scientists on a big icebreaker. I was scheduled to be on board, but this was toward the end of the pandemic, and they had to keep four berths empty at all times for quarantine purposes. So I couldn’t go.

Instead, I gave Thibaut a camera, he’s not just an oceanographer, but also a very visual thinker, and I gave him a wish list of what I hoped to capture. He went down and came back with those shots... and more. Some of the most poetic images in the film are his. Also, the cameras inside the submersible are special, they’ve been tested and certified not to explode under pressure. So that footage had to be captured by the team directly. I edited everything together from what came back.

Interviewer: Toma Manov

Editor: Martin Kudlac