Viktória Dénes is a young emerging filmmaker trying to navigate through a landscape of uncertainty. Just like most of her peers, she is concerned about what her future will bring. Can humanity slow down climate change? Should she bring another life into such an uncertain world?
To find answers she looks to the past, specifically to an 1872 expedition during which intrepid mariners sailed into the unknown, only to be frozen into the Arctic ice sheets for more than two years. Nevertheless, they managed to survive.
At FIPADOC, Dénes described how this story informed her new 5-part series project Frozen Ocean. “When the world is changing around us at such an unprecedented speed, mental preparedness is key to our survival,” she explains. “They have inspired me to bring my own and quite different expedition to the Arctic with a film team and a researcher, focusing on the local population and their challenges.”
From the synopsis, we discover that adventurer Julius Payer and his crew set sail for the far north in 1872. They believed in collective knowledge beyond political borders, so Viktória decided to embark on a journey that looks for possible solutions and answers for her concerns, collecting knowledge that might help hers and future generations.
The new expedition sails from Bremerhaven to Franz Josef Land carrying a handful of filmmakers, adventurers and a researcher. The ice is no longer in their way, but the geopolitical landscape still presents significant obstacles. Changes are happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting every corner of our planet, and as she visits small communities along the way, inhabitants and researchers work together to build resilience. The synopsis describes how captivating visuals, animated scenes of the historic voyage and the people Viktória meets along the way make the striking contrast between the past and the present visible, bringing new perspectives and a hope for change.
Director Dénes explains further. “I think we need new ways of adapting to these changes, not just technically, but mentally as well. We know that the Arctic is the fastest warming place on Earth, so all the changes that are happening there right now will sooner or later happen all around Europe. In my series, I want to learn from the people of the Arctic who have always lived in great difficulties due to the ocean environment.”
It’s a broad subject, and hence the decision to make it in a 5-part series format. “Each episode will focus on different topics such as history, climate anxiety, biodiversity, renewable energy and crisis response. Through the series, we are following two parallel timelines. One is our contemporary expedition, focusing on the gathering of the new knowledge, and the other is the historic expedition through animated scenes based on the journals and drawings of Julius Payer. They have contributed a lot to climate science, and I think what we can learn from the past is the power of working together.”
“So, we’re still in development and last week we were up north making promising connections to Nordic producers,” says producer Julianna Urgin of Éclipse Films in Hungary. “We are supported by the Creative Europe Media Development Fund and are sponsored by Canon Hungary – we can also count on the very well-functioning Hungarian tax rebate system. We invite producers, broadcasters and funds to come on board with us on this great expedition.”
Urgin further comments, “It’s my great pleasure to be presenting Viktória as a new voice in directing. I have to say that working with first time filmmakers always amazes me. The energy and the enthusiasm they put into the project is incomparable. Viktória’s persistence and concepts are convincing, and I truly believe that she will make this series strong and important.”
Delivery of Frozen Arctic is planned for December 2026. Of the projected €2,189,829 budget, €1,864,631 is still required. Eclipse Film is a private funder of the film. Each episode will be of 50-minute duration.
