EMERSION

A competitive surfer makes a compelling discovery when he is dragged under the waves.

The latest short film by Howard Wimshurst is currently on the film festival circuit.

Sheduled for public release in November 2025.

Review

Big Fridge International Film Festival

EMERSION is a powerful and poetic short film that plunges viewers into the depths - both oceanic and emotional - of one surfer’s transformative encounter. Visually stunning and conceptually resonant, the film uses the elemental force of the sea as a metaphor for self-discovery, confronting environmental collapse with quiet urgency and visual elegance.

The juxtaposition of sharp, angular human forms with the dreamlike, almost otherworldly beauty of the ocean creates an unforgettable sensory experience. The underwater scenes are hauntingly immersive, elevated by a delicate yet stirring score and textured sound design that echoes the vast, indifferent power of nature. As the protagonist is pulled into the sea, the boundaries between ambition, vulnerability, and ecological awareness blur in deeply affecting ways.

What truly sets EMERSION apart is its ability to address a harrowing environmental truth - the destruction of marine life - without falling into despair. Instead, it offers a moment of introspective clarity: the ocean, though endangered, still holds the power to awaken and reshape. Through stunning cinematography and a restrained yet moving narrative, the film delivers a glimmer of hope—suggesting that personal transformation can lead to collective change.

A remarkable work of visual storytelling

About EMERSION

DIRECTOR STATEMENT

A few years ago, I got into surfing. The waves looked tiny from the shore, but in the water they towered over me. Soon after paddling out, I was spat back onto the sand, heaving up salt water from my lungs.

The movies mostly presented surfing as a relaxing passtime, with palm trees and barefoot beach bums strumming Ukuleles. There was a brutality to the sport they failed to mention; carrying the heavy board out to sea, furiously paddling against the waves to get beyond the break, waiting around to catch a wave, the real risk of drowning, injury by a board fin or even, the risk of being bitten by something in the deep water! It made me admire the physicality of those competitive surfers who had braved the waves.

Surfing is a direct engagement with one of the most powerful elements on the planet. EMERSION attempts to capture some of that. Furthermore, It explores the potential of young men. In a time of rampant greed and carelessness that is destroying the lives of marine animals, can our ambitions be redirected to altruistic ends?

- Howard Wimshurst

ABOUT ME