| THE SURF SCREEN PRESENTS: BELIEVE |
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This main feature will be supported by a selection of short films from UK filmmakers including Urban Surfer by Liam Tate (Best of Board Shorts 2008), The Life of Ply (most inspirational film of Board Shorts 2008) and Substance Remix by Mr B.
As well as the illuminating Rasta, Albe Falzon, Chris Brock, Neal Purchase and Kidman sections, there are also insightful vignettes on the Fitzgeralds, Steve Cooney and Damon Harvey, Beau and Nat Young, legendary board builder Joe Larkin, innovative photographer Dave Kelly and Matt McHugh from the Beautiful Girls. There are the pervading themes of inter-generational surfing, and the stoke of passing on your love of the ocean to your kin, and more exploration of the surfing/ music synergy. But this film also has something poignant to say about loss and how great art can be born from grief, and that's a precious message to share. There are also more than a few nuggets of surfing wisdom passed on along the way. Lennox elder and one of the stars of Morning of the Earth, Chris Brock - 58 and still charging the point on his own shapes - reflects: "My dad used to say to me, 'I've worked all my life and I'm still at square one. It makes you wonder what life's about. I think maybe son it's about going out and doing things you like doing and enjoying it.'" And Terry Fitzgerald, enjoying a new burst of shaping inspiration thanks to his talented surfing sons riding his 1970s boards, points out: "Surfing needs to have variables, it needs to have variation. It needs to have more than just the high performance side of the sport because surfing is more than 10 points and $100,000. For most people it's a take off, two turns and a wipe out and that's what they've got to get through the week." There are those, no doubt, who will recoil with horror at the ongoing progress of the great soul surf caravan. But, for mine, it's all a refreshing shift in focus from pro tour exertions and mass-marketed surf heroes. The nuevo soul movement sometimes seems in danger of becoming just another contrived marketing vehicle to sell product to the masses, but in quiet, humble, under-stated but intriguing offerings like this one, we can still glimpse the magic at the core of the surfing lifestyle without taint or spin. Go on, drop your cynicism and allow yourself a shiver up your spine and enjoy the ride. I, for one, am more than happy to believe. For more go to: www.littlehouseproductions.com.au
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The film features a host of some of surf culture's best-loved, inspirational characters. As well as the illuminating Rasta, Albe Falzon, Chris Brock, Neal Purchase and Kidman sections, there are also insightful vignettes on the Fitzgeralds, Steve Cooney and Damon Harvey, Beau and Nat Young, legendary board builder Joe Larkin, innovative photographer Dave Kelly and Matt McHugh from the Beautiful Girls.
The Surf Screen is an exciting new venture which aims to exhibit independent perspectives of surf culture. "In doing so, I aim to support a more sustainable and inspirational scene within surfing, through the creation of new income streams, greater opportunities for exposure and a production fund for filmmakers," explains Surf Screen founder Christiaan Bailey. "The response from the creative community and media has been very encouraging; there's a lot of talent about and I hope to help it thrive." Presenting monthly premieres of new surf films in Cornwall - in cinemas until the summer, when screenings will move to a number of exciting beach locations - The Surf Screen will also be touring the UK in April to screen the eagerly anticipated new Thomas Campbell film, The Present.
