NHK to Launch Deep Ocean: Journey to the Deepest at MIPCOM

NHK is presenting the documentary Deep Ocean: Journey to the Deepest to the international marketplace at MIPCOM next week.

The 4K documentary was filmed in the Challenger Deep, which lies within the Mariana Trench off of Guam. The seabed is 10,920 meters below the surface. NHK and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology developed an unmanned deep-sea 4K camera rig that was used to probe the depths of the ocean for two months, breaking the record for the deepest recording of a living fish when they filmed what appeared to be a previously unknown variety of the Mariana snailfish 8,178 meters below the surface. The documentary also shows the team looking for life at even greater depths using a new deep-sea remotely controlled vehicle (ROV) designed to withstand extreme pressure.

The 52-minute documentary is a co-production of NHK and ZDF. The English version is narrated by Sir David Attenborough. It will be available through NHK Enterprises in all parts of the world, excluding French- and German-speaking countries.

Hiromichi Iwasaki, executive producer at the NHK Enterprises Natural History Unit and head of the deep-sea crew, said: “We were all thrilled when we saw what appeared to be a Mariana snailfish. We really felt that these waters were the last frontier, and we’re almost certain that they’re home to other life forms.”