Documentary on Titan Submersible to Be Directed by the Last Person to See the Crew Alive

Aron Arngrimsson was the last person to see the crew and passengers of the Titan submersible alive before the underwater vessel imploded on a journey to see the wreckage of the Titanic. Now after literally sealing the hatch on its five divers, Arngrimsson will tell their story on film.

Arngrimsson is set to direct and produce an untitled documentary about the Titan implosion disaster, taking audiences through his firsthand footage before and after the expedition began and examining the controversy that followed in the aftermath.

The film is being produced by Dirty Dozen Productions in collaboration with RadicalMedia (“Summer of Soul”) and is already in post-production. It aims to be released in 2025 and to make a few festival stops along the way.

On June 18, 2023, the Titan lost contact with the surface while descending to the Titanic wreckage. The submersible failed to resurface at the expected time, and the U.S. Coast Guard was notified. The lost sub made headlines globally for the next five days, when it was confirmed the Titan imploded, killing all five people on board.

The disaster became a lightning rod for controversy, stoking culture wars over the fact that it was servicing wealthy individuals who wanted to see the wreckage of the Titanic as part of a tourist voyage, as well as earning sharp criticism for the private company OceanGate regarding the construction and operation of the Titan.

Arngrimsson’s film dives into the emotional experience of the five Titan crew members and their families in the aftermath, and the documentary hopes to help viewers “understand the motivations behind modern-day technical exploration while also reminding us of the risks.”

“We are committed to telling this important story with the thoroughness it deserves, through exclusive interviews with the Titan crew members and in the aftermath with the families,” Arngrimsson said in a statement. “Our goal is to reflect on the lives affected by this tragedy while providing crucial insights into walking the razor-thin line between success and failure.”

“The unprecedented access Aron had to the Titan crew, their families, and this story, was remarkable. He was there, first-hand, experiencing all of this in real time. It was extremely important to us to tell this story authentically, given the tremendous media attention it received. We believe it’s critical for the world to understand the real story of Titan and the importance of modern-day ocean exploration” says Stacey Reiss, executive producer at RadicalMedia.

The film is being led by executive producers Louie Psihoyos, Dave Sirulnick, and Brian Henderson and producers Reiss, Antti Apunen, Geoff Creighton, and Arngrimsson.