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Mighty Indeed

Tagline:
Three women. Four decades. One melting continent.

*****
Logline:
Three remarkable women, spanning four decades, push the boundaries of what we know about Antarctica’s frozen ocean.

*****
Synopsis:
In one of the harshest places on Earth, three women from different generations chase a hidden and ephemeral world beneath the Antarctic sea ice. Dr Natalie Robinson leads an expedition to McMurdo Sound, joined by PhD student and microbiologist Jacqui Stuart on her first trip south. Mentoring them from afar is veteran sea ice physicist Professor Pat Langhorne.

Battling brutal weather and isolation, the team discovers extraordinary tiny creatures within the delicate structures of the ice. Weaving personal stories with groundbreaking science, this is an intimate and deeply human portrait of life set against the immense scale of Antarctica, told with grit, wit, and surprising warmth.

  • Vanessa Wells
    Director
    East to East
  • Vanessa Wells
    Producer
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4333861
  • Polly Fryer
    Producer
    Dark Tourist, Badjelly - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1762125/
  • Dr Natalie Robinson
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Prof Pat Langhorne
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Dr Jacqui Stuart
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Emma Smart
    Editor
    imdb.com/name/nm10221522
  • Adam Jones
    Director of Photography
    Dynamic Planet, Shark Swarm
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Environment, climate, documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 27 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 15, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    New Zealand
  • Country of Filming:
    Antarctica, New Zealand
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • DocEdge NZ Festival
    Auckland
    New Zealand
    June 30, 2025
    World Premiere (home territory)
    Best NZ Director, Best NZ Film
  • Sebastopol Documentary Festival
    San Francisco
    United States
    April 10, 2026
    International Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Orion IFF International Film Festival
    -
    Australia
    -
    Best Environmental/Conservation Film - Highly Commended
Distribution Information
  • RNZ (NZ only)
    Distributor
    Country: New Zealand
    Rights: Free TV
Director Biography - Vanessa Wells

Vanessa Wells is a filmmaker and theatre practitioner who has worked in the arts industry for over 20 years. Her current feature documentary, MIGHTY INDEED, is about three remarkable women and their scientific work in Antarctica.

Vanessa has travelled to the Ice three times and this has led to a significant body of work focusing on the icy continent, including an educational children’s play, content for Sesame Street, and the short documentary Te Whakairo - which premiered at Show Me Shorts Festival 2019 before touring festivals worldwide.

Vanessa's debut feature, the documentary film East to East, about teenagers completing the Coast to Coast multi-sport event, premiered at NZIFF 2018.

With her production company Elanti Media, Vanessa has created nine short films for Sesame Street, amongst work for other clients, including co-directing award-winning interactive work Give Kate A Voice with Vendetta Productions and Vanishing Point Studio.

Vanessa joined WIFTNZ in 2007 and has been on the board since 2015, tutors at the University of Canterbury in film, and is a mentor with the Christchurch City Council.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When I was in Antarctica, the scientists I met and the continent itself had a profound effect on me - it moved me to my core. I have never felt more connected to our planet Earth as I did in Antarctica.

While I was there, science became visceral and real. When we talked about sea ice melting with Dr Natalie Robinson, we were standing on 2m thick sea ice; when we were discussing the impacts of climate change on “charismatic megafauna”, we were looking into the eyes of an Emperor Penguin. The climate crisis became tangible.

On returning from Antarctica, I was personally compelled to act, and I was able to do so. I reduced my family and business carbon footprint dramatically with relatively small changes. I have now been running a carbon neutral organisation for 6 years.

MIGHTY INDEED is an impact film at its heart, and it tackles climate change with, ironically, a tonne of warmth.

I believe that film’s ability to change people’s perceptions at an emotional level is the most powerful tool I can employ. I want to shift the way we look at the world, and if MIGHTY INDEED can help others fall in love with the most remote place on Earth and the people that work there, then that to me is success.