Mighty Indeed | Australian Antarctic Festival 2026
Description
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.
Join us for this inspiring and visually stunning film exploring exploration, mentorship, scientific discovery and the wonders of the frozen south.
Event Details
📅 Friday 21 August 2026
🕕 6:00 pm
📍 CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart
Presented as part of the Australian Antarctic Festival 2026.
Poster
Producer / Director
Vanessa Wells
Vanessa Wells is an award-winning director, producer, and theatre practitioner who has worked in the arts for more than two decades. Her most recent feature documentary, Mighty Indeed (2025), follows three remarkable women scientists and their work in Antarctica. The film premiered at Doc Edge Film Festival, where it won Best NZ Film and Best NZ Director, and is now embarking on its international festival run. Vanessa has travelled to Antarctica three times, building a significant body of work that spans education, documentary, and children’s media. Her Antarctic projects include an educational play that toured primary schools, content for Sesame Street (which has since commissioned eight short films from her company, Elanti Media), and the short documentary Te Whakairo (2019), which screened internationally at festivals including Show Me Shorts, FIFO Tahiti, and The Explorers Club Polar Film Festival in New York. Her debut feature, East to East (2018), about teenagers taking on New Zealand’s iconic Coast to Coast multi-sport event, was critically acclaimed after its sold-out premiere season at NZIFF and international festival screenings. An educational version of the film with tailored resources was also developed, extending its reach to schools and young audiences. She has also collaborated on innovative interactive projects such as Give Kate a Voice (2018, co-director) and Living Flowerwall (2019, producer/director of film content). Other directing work includes the digital documentary series Braveheart Christchurch (2018-20), which reached hundreds of thousands of viewers online. Vanessa takes a collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach to filmmaking, often working at the intersection of science, art, and community. In addition to her creative work, she is a long-standing advocate for women in screen, serving on the board of WIFT NZ 2015-25.
Watch the trailer here!
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