The 79th Cannes Film Festival, running from 12-23 May, has recently expanded and finalised its line-up for the Un Certain Regard section; among the latest additions (see the news), is Titanic Ocean, the first feature by Greek writer-director Konstantina Kotzamani, bringing Japanese mermaids to the Croisette.

Blending coming-of-age elements with a heightened, pop-infused aesthetic, the film is set in a Japanese boarding school where teenage girls are trained to become professional mermaids. At its centre is 17-year-old Akame, who learns to hold her breath, perform for adoring crowds and swim alongside sharks. Beneath her silicone mermaid tail, Akame will find her siren voice, discover first love and experience a metamorphosis, turning performance into transformation.

The cast is led by Japanese actress Arisa Sasaki as Akame, alongside German actress Melina Mardini. The ensemble also includes Haruna Matsui, Kotone Hanase, Hanna Muro, Riku Nakamura, Aki Kigoshi, Sei Matobu and Masahiro Higashide (Asako I & II).

Kotzamani directs from her own screenplay, marking her transition to feature filmmaking after an acclaimed run in short and medium-length formats. Her previous works include What Mary Didn’t Know (Locarno 2024), Electric Swan (Venice 2019), Limbo (Cannes Critics’ Week 2016) and Washingtonia (Berlinale 2014). Her films have earned multiple awards, including several Hellenic Film Academy prizes. She also co-wrote the script for Arcadia, the latest feature by Yorgos Zois.

The film was shot in Japan, with cinematography by Raphaël Vandebussch (Rodéo, Eat the Night). Editing is by Livia Neroutsopoulou, Vincent Tricon and Julie Wuillai, while production design is by Sebastian Vogler. The original score is composed by Spanish composer Patricia Ferragud, with additional cover songs by Kid Moxie. Sound design is by Marius Leftărache, makeup by Bianca Simion, and costumes by Azuna Saito.

Greek producer Maria Drandaki of Homemade Films told Cineuropa: “Titanic Ocean is a film whose idea started ten years ago, when Konstantina was studying in Argentina and came across an article about mermaid schools in Japan. Even though it initially felt almost impossible to realise the project in Japan, I was so impressed and drawn to this adventure that I started exploring all the routes that would take us there. Years later, we actually shot the film, entirely in Japanese, with Japanese cast and crew, and with the contribution of creative collaborators from five European countries. We can’t wait for its premiere in Un Certain Regard in Cannes, where we will finally be able to share the film with rest of the world.”

Titanic Ocean is a Greek-German-Romanian-Spanish-Japanese co-production staged by Maria Drandaki for Athens-based Homemade Films, in co-production with Nina Frese for Cologne-based WUNDERLUST, Radu Stancu for Bucharest-based deFilm, Luisa Romeo for Galicia’s Frida Films, Keisuke Konishi for Japan’s Mam Film, and Hiroto Ogi for Japan’s Happinet Phantom Studios, along with Bayerischer Rundfunk, ERT, Vodafone TV and Onassis Culture, in collaboration with Quiddity, Finite Films, Felony, Arte and Avanpost Media.

The project was supported by the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, FFA, Film- Und Medienstiftung NRW, the Romanian Film Centre, ICAA, the CNC, Aide aux Cinémas du Monde – Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée – Institut Français, the Île-de-France/Paris Region, the GFC – French-Greek Co-Production Fund, Eurimages, the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, along with Romanian Government – Office for Films and Investments in Culture, Media Investment Communication, Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals – Generalitat de Catalunya, and the Romanian Television. Paris-based Paradise City Sales handles international sales.