Melbourne Documentary Film Festival / Sydney Film Festival 2020 – Descent
Dutch ice freediver Kiki Bosch dives in the world’s coldest waters without a wetsuit as therapy for the trauma of sexual assault, and to inspire others.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Nays Baghai
Watch Descent on DocPlay, Garage, Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play and Fetch TV
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! Descent started when I began teaching myself underwater cinematography at the age of 19, and a lot of my self-prescribed training dives were in deeper, colder and murkier waters. All my non-diver friends began to question my sanity and asked me, "Why do you do it?", which left a massive impression on me. However, my growing network of professional freedivers and tech divers - who were pushing their limits to even greater extremes - made an even bigger impact. As a result, I became fascinated with the idea of exploring the psychology of divers who willingly venture into challenging underwater environments. The story that grabbed my attention was about Kiki Bosch, a Dutch woman who freedives into the world's coldest waters as therapy for the trauma of rape and to inspire others. I felt like there weren't many documentaries that authentically conveyed the psychology and philosophy of freediving on screen, and I wanted to depart from the typical epic adrenalin adventure approach, and instead do a more sensitive and intimate character study.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Descent is a story about healing and exploring your limits. It dives into the vulnerability and strength of a woman who finds meaning in the world’s most hauntingly beautiful environments. It will speak to anyone who has faced struggles in their life and is looking to find calm in unlikely places. I think the subject matter of sexual assault and regaining your confidence and strength will resonate especially well with those who have been victims and suffered trauma. But Descent has much broader appeal than that audience. Ultimately, I think people will want to watch Descent because it is more about the why than the what, and Kiki’s story has a very interesting why.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The main theme of Descent is healing: it is the story of someone who climbs her way out of not one, but two incidents of trauma, and keeps going, despite the odds against her. Descent proves there is a peace beyond fear; when Kiki returns to the water after her trauma, she is astonished by how tranquil and peaceful ice freediving can be. The themes of human potential and exploring your own limits also make up the fabric of the story, given how the kinds of dives Kiki had done - such as the -3°C iceberg dive in Greenland with only a swimsuit - had never been attempted prior to her.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The original script was starkly different from the final edit. Not only were there more reenactments, but the ending showcased Kiki setting an ice freediving world record in the frozen lakes of Finland. However, when Kiki received that medical diagnosis at the end of 2018 that jeopardised her entire freediving career, that forced me to completely rewrite the story from scratch. The ending, in particular, seemed like an almost insurmountable challenge, because Kiki’s story was still developing in front of our eyes.
During the interview sessions at the start of principal photography, it became clear that the story we were telling was quite a complex one, so the four of us (Kiki, co-producers Eero Heinonen and Mehrdad Baghai, and me) did a story exercise with post-it notes to order the events of Kiki’s life. The purpose of this was to ensure the story was working not only chronologically and emotionally, but also accurately. It definitely required a high level of mutual trust in order for this exercise to occur, and the script substantially improved moving forward. It was quite powerful to have Kiki shape her own narrative in real-time.
I would return to this exercise four months later during the editing process, at a time where the rough cut was not working at all, which I knew was a normal thing to happen during the filmmaking process. After I restructured the chronology of the events, I realised the filmed interview sessions needed a stronger psychological focus, so I did extensive voiceover work with Kiki, which proved to be a huge lifesaver.
Because I mainly worked alone throughout the whole editing process, I relied extensively on the feedback of my friends. The suggestions they gave proved to be invaluable throughout the gruelling five months it took to edit the film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
For the most part, the feedback has been really positive. It’s been really pleasing to know people are gravitating to the character-work done with Kiki, but are also intrigued by the icy waters she pushes her limits in. Virtually everyone has praised the archival footage of Stefan Andrews, who filmed Kiki while she was diving in the subzero waters of Iceland, Greenland, Finland and Switzerland.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Some people have commented that they weren’t the biggest fans of the reenactment scenes of Kiki’s childhood. The reason I decided to include them is because Kiki didn’t have any archival home videos of her childhood and because I’m a visual storyteller who hates relying too strongly on talking heads. For those reasons, I felt doing reenactments would bring her childhood to life in a more visceral way.
Others have told me that they think Kiki is completely insane and impossible to relate to, which I understand. Kiki challenges people. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a person who would find it hard to relate to someone that does what Kiki does! [laughs] And I bet you Kiki herself would be very disappointed if she wasn’t challenging people.
During the early stages of the editing process, a family friend saw some spare footage we shot at the Icelandic iceberg lagoon Jökulsárlón, and recommended I start off with. I immediately realised how right he was - if I didn’t clearly visually establish the icy nature of Kiki’s sport, it would have been a disservice to the story.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Obviously, getting the word out about Descent to distributors and producers is a big priority, since I am a first-time filmmaker and I want to expand it into a larger multimedia project. The original idea for Descent was to do a full documentary series about all sorts of people - freedivers, tech divers, ice divers, shark divers - who willingly dive in dangerous underwater environments, and to explore why they do what they do. I want to go in a more character-driven, psychoanalytical direction compared to the clichéd epic, adrenalin-fuelled macho style of storytelling. I really like how wearemovingstories.com champions the voices of up-and-coming independent artists, so I am excited to see what will happen as a result.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I would love for producers and agents who have ties to the streaming giants to come behind the project in order for us to not only amplify the film’s message but also expand it into a larger multimedia project. It would be amazing to have a celebrity who is fond of diving to come behind the film and encourage people to look into the psychology of divers.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want to generate enough interest and positive reception towards Descent so I can expand it into the full larger series. We have already optioned 12 real-life characters who all specialise in hostile underwater environments, so now it’s just a matter of making it happen.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
During our first-ever public screening, a friend made a comment that stuck with me - “I think it manages to simultaneously appeal to both people who will be captivated and inspired by her story, and to people who will watch because they think she’s nuts.” I agree with her in that there are two schools of thought in regards to Kiki - people who are inspired by her, and people who think she’s crazy. No matter who you are, it’s hard not to be enticed by her story and learn more. That’s why the film usually triggers deep discussions about the character afterwards.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
In addition to the expanded series of Descent, I’m also developing ideas for a few other character-driven documentary and dramatic projects. One I’m really excited is a series about the world’s greatest living bass guitarists, and what their backstories, philosophies and artistic styles entail. I also have plans to do two underwater music videos for a local rock fusion band here in Sydney. There are quite a few projects on my list, and now it’s a matter of adapting to a post-COVID19 world and strategising the best way to move forward.
Interview: June 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Descent
Dutch ice freediver Kiki Bosch dives in the world’s coldest waters without a wetsuit as therapy for the trauma of sexual assault, and to inspire others.
Length: 59:54
Director: Nays Baghai
Producer: Eero Heinonen
Writer: Nays Baghai
About the writer, director and producer:
NAYS BAGHAI is an independent filmmaker and underwater cameraman. His student short films have won over 20 awards from various international festivals, and his feature film debut, Descent, is currently a finalist for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award. Since the age of 14, he has shot and edited content for dozens of Australian businesses, from corporate giants like Telstra, CBA and Deloitte, to dive brands like Molchanovs Freediving, Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions, and Cressi Australia.
EERO HEINONEN is a musician and filmmaker born and raised in Helsinki, Finland. He has made several documentary films in short and long-form, and studied a Master's Degree in producing at AFTRS. His previous credits include Walker, The Forest Cartel Case and Escape By Sea. Eero is also well-known as the bassist of the alternative rock group The Rasmus; the group has toured the globe and sold several million records.
Looking for: sales agents, distributors, buyers
Facebook: Running Cloud Productions
Instagram: @descentproject
Hashtags used: #descentproject #disturbthecomfort
Website: www.descentproject.com
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Sydney Film Festival - June 10-22
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival - June 30-July 15