At the 2026 True/False Film Fest, audiences will be invited to surrender to something rare: a documentary that feels less like a lecture and more like an immersive cosmic experience. PHENOMENA, the feature debut from Australian filmmaker Josef Gatti, makes its world premiere on Thursday, March 5 at 9:30 pm at The Blue Note, with Gatti in attendance. Running 86 minutes and produced between Australia and the United States, the film is a sensory odyssey that dissolves the boundaries between art and science, plunging viewers into the mysterious architecture of the universe itself.
Written, directed, produced, photographed, edited, and narrated by Gatti, PHENOMENA is a deeply personal exploration of nature’s hidden forces. What makes it extraordinary is that every image is captured in-camera, without visual effects or digital manipulation. Through immersive practical experiments, Gatti reveals the hyper-real beauty of physical processes, creating a visual language that stretches from the subatomic to the cosmological.
Science Without Artifice
At its core, PHENOMENA is an experiment in seeing. Gatti conducts hands-on explorations that blur the line between laboratory and studio, transforming scientific observation into cinematic spectacle. Part documentary, part experimental film, the project traces the forces and elements that shape our world, revealing patterns and movements that are often invisible to the naked eye.
The absence of computer-generated imagery is central to the film’s philosophy. Every shimmering reaction, wave of light, and collision of matter unfolds authentically before the lens. The result is not only visually arresting but emotionally resonant. Instead of explaining the universe through narration-heavy exposition, PHENOMENA invites viewers to feel it.
Music as Cosmic Guide
The film’s immersive power is amplified by an extraordinary musical collaboration. Featuring compositions from celebrated pianist and producer Nils Frahm, alongside an original ethereal electronic score by Rival Consoles, the soundtrack transforms scientific curiosity into a hypnotic audiovisual experience.
Nils Frahm, renowned for his fusion of classical piano and ambient electronics, brings contemplative depth to the film. His music has captivated global audiences through works such as Felt, Spaces, and All Melody, as well as his celebrated international tours. In PHENOMENA, his compositions elevate moments of quiet observation into meditative passages that feel almost sacred.
Complementing Frahm’s work is the original score by Rival Consoles, also known as Ryan Lee West. Known for his emotionally textured electronic soundscapes and scoring work for projects including Netflix’s Black Mirror, Rival Consoles crafts a sonic environment that pulses with subtle tension and wonder. Together, the music does not merely accompany the imagery; it shapes the emotional rhythm of the journey.
A Collaborative Vision
PHENOMENA is produced by Rob Innes and executive produced by Jessica Harrop, Caitlin Mae Burke, and Radiolab creator Jad Abumrad. The involvement of Sandbox Films, the Oscar-nominated studio known for Fire of Love and other science-driven documentaries, underscores the film’s ambition.
Jessica Harrop, Executive Director of Sandbox Films and an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, has long championed documentaries that illuminate scientific inquiry through artistic storytelling. Caitlin Mae Burke, an Emmy-winning producer with an impressive slate of festival premieres, brings her expertise in supporting bold, artist-driven projects.
Executive producer Jad Abumrad, the MacArthur Fellow and creator of Radiolab, contributes a sensibility shaped by years of blending sound design with complex scientific ideas. His presence reflects PHENOMENA’s commitment to making profound concepts accessible without sacrificing wonder.
The Filmmaker at the Center
Josef Gatti is based in Melbourne and has built a reputation for merging experimental filmmaking with documentary storytelling. Before this feature debut, he created a multi-platform iteration of PHENOMENA that aired on Australia’s ABC and screened internationally. The Guardian named it one of the best Australian programs of 2021, while DOC NYC described it as a work that must be experienced rather than simply watched.
Gatti’s background in cinematography and creative experimentation informs every frame. Beyond longform filmmaking, he collaborates extensively within Australia’s music and arts communities and directed the series Matter for Cercle Records in 2024. With PHENOMENA, he expands his vision into feature form, offering audiences an experience that feels intimate yet vast.
A Sensory Experience at True/False
The True/False Film Fest, known for championing innovative nonfiction, provides an ideal stage for PHENOMENA’s debut. Following its March 5 world premiere at The Blue Note, additional screenings will take place March 6 at Big Ragtag and March 7 at Windsor Auditorium.
As a Gatti and Mashup Pictures production, with principal funding from Sandbox Films and Screen Australia, the film stands at the intersection of art, inquiry, and immersive cinema. PHENOMENA does not attempt to solve the mysteries of the universe. Instead, it invites us to witness them unfolding. Through practical experimentation, luminous imagery, and transcendent sound, Josef Gatti transforms observation into revelation, crafting a documentary that feels less like a film and more like a voyage into the hidden fabric of existence itself.
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