A new documentary titled *How Deep Is Your Love* will be screened in selected cinemas across the United Kingdom beginning October 2. The film follows a team of scientists from the Natural History Museum (NHM) as they explore the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a remote and biodiversity-rich area of the Pacific Ocean located between Hawaii and Mexico. The expedition focuses on deep-sea ecosystems around 5,000 meters below the surface — an environment largely unexplored and threatened by emerging deep-sea mining operations.

Using an underwater robot named Isis, the researchers undertake a descent lasting approximately five hours to reach the ocean floor, where sunlight is absent and mineral-rich nodules attract industrial interest. The film highlights the urgency of identifying new species before potential mining activities damage these fragile habitats, offering a rare glimpse into an ecosystem that only 0.001% of the deep seafloor has been directly observed by humans.

Director Eleanor Mortimer, who collaborated closely with NHM scientists and co-producer Muriel Rabone, presents the film as an homage to taxonomists and biologists who meticulously classify deep-sea species, a process that can take up to 14 years from discovery to scientific naming. Mortimer’s narrative shifts between human perspectives and those of deep-sea creatures, illustrating the challenges and wonders of life in the abyssal plain.

The documentary also features scenes at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Jamaica, the international body responsible for regulating seabed activities beyond national jurisdictions. Earlier this year, ISA negotiations concluded without establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework or comprehensive environmental safeguards for deep-sea mining, underscoring the ongoing legal and scientific uncertainties surrounding resource extraction in the area.

*How Deep Is Your Love* is neither a polemic against mining nor a traditional nature documentary in the style of David Attenborough. Rather, it offers a reflective and poetic exploration of humanity’s relationship with the deep ocean. Throughout the film, scientists’ fascination and concerns are conveyed through moments such as observing a neon-pink sea cucumber affectionately nicknamed the “Barbie Pig,” and acknowledging the ethical dilemma of studying species that cannot survive capture and transport to the surface.

The film invites audiences to consider the vast, largely unknown territory beneath the seas and the profound implications of human activity in these fragile ecosystems.