Film News

Down The Barrel DVD Takes Fans on a Journey To the World’s Top Surf Spots

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 3 July, 2008 : - -  Viewers can feel the rush of the world’s most exhilarating sport when ESPN Home Entertainment, in conjunction with Genius Products, LLC, brings fans excitement in and out of the ocean with four of the top competitors the sport of surfing has ever seen in the award-winning documentary, Down The Barrel.

The film features eight-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater, three-time U.S. Open Champion Rob Machado, Quiksilver Pro Champion Joel Parkinson and X Games Surf Champion Kalani Robb. The DVD is now available nationwide.

“Down The Barrel personifies the notion of doing the impossible,” said Tori Stevens, ESPN vice president, multi-platform content. “From Kelly Slater to Kalani Robb a surfer’s ability to cheat death and conquer the most notorious waves ever imagined is simply awe inspiring, and we have captured it all in this award-winning film.”

The DVD includes insight from all four surfing legends, following them on tour as they surf in some of the most beautiful areas in the world. Loaded with bonus features including over 1 hour of extended surfing footage and 4 behind-the-scenes documentaries, Down The Barrel brings first-hand knowledge of the sport to people who have never had the chance to experience a six-foot wave.  

“From Hawaii’s Bonzai Pipeline to the Barrier Reef in Tahiti, Down The Barrel takes a look at major surfing events that most people haven’t even had the chance to see,” said Trevor Drinkwater, President and CEO of Genius Products.  “It provides people who have little knowledge of the sport a chance to see the intensity and excitement that goes into every single wave.”

Down The Barrel won the Award of Excellence in the categories of Documentary & Cinematography from the Accolade Competition, Best Sports Documentary at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival and Best Cinematography at the #5th Annual Surfer Poll & Movie Awards where it was also nominated for Best Documentary and Movie of the Year. 

The film was also an official selection at surf festivals around the world including the 5th Annual Surf Theater Film Festival in Huntington Beach, CA and the Maui Film Festival in Hawaii, the Australian Surf Movie Festival in Sydney, the Mostra Festival in Brazil and II Surfestival, the Festival Internacional de Cine y Cultura del Surf in Santiago, Chile among others.

The DVD release will be supported by a cross promotion with the EXPN.com daily surf blog "Wretched Wetsuit" by Jon Coen and with a National Sweepstakes offering consumers a chance to win a trip for   2 to the 2009 X Games Surfing Competition. 

The sweepstakes is open to residents of the contiguous United States age 13 and older and no purchase is necessary to enter.  Consumers can see rules and enter at espndownthebarrelsweeps.com through August 4, 2008.       

Synopsis: It’s every surfer’s dream to control the uncontrollable, catch the perfect wave and find peace in the fury. Follow the world’s top surfers, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Kalani Robb and Joel Parkinson, around the globe in Down the Barrel, a visually stunning look at what makes surfing the most exhilarating sport on the planet.

From Rob Machado’s Zen-like pursuit of the ride to Kelly Slater’s quest for an unprecedented 8th World Title on the ASP World Tour, this award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary captures the purity and thrill of surfing.  Highlighted by an awesome array of visuals – including astounding underwater photography, electrifying jet-ski angles and some of the most astonishing point of view images ever captured on film – Down The Barrel features the top surf spots, including Hawaii’s Bonzai Pipeline, Australia’s Gold Coast and the treacherous barrier reef at Teahupoo, Tahiti, where cheating death is the greatest rush of all.

www.espnmediazone.com
www.espndownthebarrelsweeps.com

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