Tropical Depression follows the life and death of 21 cyclones that took place in the southern Hemisphere during the 2023 to 2024 cyclone season. Combining found footage and text fragments with recorded footage of the storms within Microsoft Flight Simulator - a videogame where weather is visualised in realtime using meteorological data - the film explores the aesthetic implications of documentary filmmaking that relies on data-generated rather than lens-based imagery, and the depiction of violent weather events as data-driven climate models.

This project has taken place with the generous support of the Fonds für Forschung und Transfer, as well as the Preis für künstlerische Forschung, from the Film University Babelsberg-Konrad Wolf in Potsdam, Germany.

Credits

Director/Cinematography: Alexander Walmsley

Montage: Merit Giesen

Sound: Eleni-Ira Panourgia