21/05/2026 - CANNES 2026: After several acclaimed short films, Konstantina Kotzamani dives deep into the mermaiding culture in Japan in her first debut feature

Arisa Sasaki, Melina Mardini and Haruna Matsui in Titanic Ocean

Mermaids are a timeless symbol of femininity and desire; their mythical appeal is as popular in Europe as it is around the globe; as a result, seeing a Greek filmmaker like Konstantina Kotzamani make a mermaid film in Japan simply makes sense. Titanic Ocean marks a first feature length project for the filmmaker, which has been long in the making and is now premiering in Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard, which is no surprise because her previous short and medium length films have screened at all the major European festivals, from the Berlinale with Washingtonia in 2014, to Cannes (in the Critics’ Week) with Limbo in 2016, as well as in Venice with Electric Swan in 2019 and Locarno with What Mary Didn’t Know in 2024.

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The rise of “mermaiding” as a competitive sport has fascinated Kotzamani for more than a decade and the extensive research done to make Titanic Ocean credible and possible is evident in the meticulous production design and costumes. From the elaborate props and bedazzled outfits to the extraordinary mermaid tails the girls train to swim with, everything possesses an ornamental quality. Each teenage girl has different bright-coloured hair – long and flowy to swirl impressively underwater – and a matching tail tailored to their underwater persona. But since beauty and stamina are the sport’s main criteria, the price to pay is high.

The film’s main character is called Akame, but goes by “Deep Sea”; she is also the narrator whose soft voice guides the audience through the oneiric world of the film. Titanic Ocean shares the dream-like quality to Kotzamani’s previous films, but relies much more on psychological cues communicated through inner monologues to set the stage for a supernatural turn later in the film. Mystical powers are expected in every mermaid narrative, but the Greek director makes sure she pays enough attention to the physical reality behind the myth: these mermaids-in-training must learn to expand their lungs to extraordinary capacity, move their hips and legs in a certain way and maintain an impeccable appearance while doing so. It’s not surprising that some of Deep Sea’s classmates struggle under the weight of the sadistic beauty standards that plague even this corner of the industry.

Titanic Ocean incorporates many of the major motifs associated with mermaid legends and fairytales — the loss of one’s voice, romantic longing, rivalry and the struggle for identity — without ever explicitly taking a stance on any of them, instead attempting to conjure a more unified mermaid mythology for the present day. To achieve this, Konstantina Kotzamani combines a distinctive interpretation of Japanese girlhood aesthetics with fluid cinematography and a powerful, evocative score that carries much of the film. The central role of sound, song and the female voice as concepts can, however, become submerged beneath the myriad of images, so bright and ornamental that it risks becoming overwhelming by the final act. As promising a debut as Titanic Ocean undoubtedly is, it may simply prove too elusive to fully grasp and appreciate on a first watch.

Titanic Ocean is produced by Homemade Films (Greece), in co-production with Wunderlust (Germany), deFilm (Romania), Manny Films (France), Frida Films (Spain), Happinet Phantom Studios (Japan) and Mam Film (Japan). France’s Paradise City Sales handles international sales.