IN TOO DEEP: Exploring Deep Sea Mining in The Pacific
2 x 44 min, 2 x 52 min, 1 x 52 min
SWEETSHOP ENTERTAINMENT | directed by KIM WEBBY
IN TOO DEEP begins with the seductive promises of deep-sea mining, only to expose a complex web of greenwashing, geopolitical power, and modern colonialism. Filmed across the Cook Islands, Aotearoa New Zealand, Nauru, and Singapore, it follows environmental leaders, Indigenous scientists, and local communities as they confront a rapidly expanding industry and uncovering the shadowy corporations, legal grey zones, and extractive ambitions that threaten to sever cultural ties to the moana.
Told through intimate access and cinematic storytelling, the series balances emotional weight with moments of surreal absurdity: from a Florida treasure hunter with a $500 million past, to Pentecostal sermons declaring seabed mining as God’s will, to wellness influencers “harmonizing” with extractive agendas. As resistance builds and the clock ticks down on a five-year licensing moratorium, the question becomes not just should we mine the ocean - but who gets to decide?
(The dossier can be sent upon request)
BUDGET: $1.1M NZD / $640K USD - 87% financed, 13% GAP
FINANCING PARTNERS: NZ ON AIR, NZ FILM COMMISSION SCREEN PRODUCTION REBATE
Looking for: Pre-sales, commissioning, co production
BROADCAST PARTNERS ANZ: NITV & SBS
DELIVERY: Rough cut JULY/AUGUST 2026, final delivery SEPT/OCT 2026