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Riding the Wave
The New York Surf Film Festival goes beyond easy notions of the surf film
When the term ‘surf film’ comes to mind so do a few other things. Unfortunately, it might be Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon doing the twist with the sun setting in the background. The New York Surf Film Festival, which takes place at the Tribeca Cinemas September 25–27, aims to change that notion.
With almost all the features and shorts in the fest being documentary films, one could easily liken this type of filmmaking to skateboard videos or extreme sports dvds. But the NY Surf Film Festival is attempting to go beyond those easy notions. As their mission statement reads, the festival aims to “provide filmmakers who are exploring the diversity of surfing an opportunity to present their work” and to contribute to the surf community by “fostering the growth of this global community in NYC.”
The films are not just hour-long videos of men on death-defying waves. Most of the docs featured in the festival have a personal story behind them. For example, Searching for Michael Peterson is a portrait of an Australian surfer who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. The Women and the Waves gives a face to female surfers of all ages. Exploring the global community of surfing and the sea in general, there are features ranging from Sea of Darkness, a true story of 1970s pirates off the coast of Indonesia. Exposing the rest of us to lesser-known surfing destinations, Power of Three explores three artists/surfers as they attempt to conquer the biggest waves in Ireland. Out of Place puts the spotlight on an underground group of surfers in Cleveland, Ohio. Lake Erie may seem like an unlikely spot to catch waves but this clan braves harsh winters to surf the Great Lakes. Finally in an ode to classic surf films the festival is showcasing The Endless Summer, director Bruce Brown’s 1966 documentary that is widely seen as a landmark in surf documentaries.
Seeing different real life characters and their histories and how those lives intertwine with this sport is possibly the most engaging part of the festival, which seems like much more then just another niche film festival.