Film News

Wavescapes Surf Film Festival slated for Bay of Plenty..

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 24 July, 2008 : - - A unique collection of surfing films will premiere in South Africa at the 2008 edition of the Wavescapes Surf Film Festival in Durban. The festival, part of the Durban International Film Festival, opens with a special outdoor screening of the film High Water on Sunday 27 July.

Film director Wes Brown - his grandfather Bruce made the cult classic Endless Summer - is being flown out from California for the premiere, and will hold a workshop for aspirant surfing film-makers. 

High Water, which will be projected onto a large screen near the famous surf break Bay of Plenty, chronicles the story of the North Shore in Hawaii, particularly the events that make up the Triple Crown of surfing.

According to Steve Pike, director of Wavescapes, the film shows how surfers can "go from hero to zero, through the tube into the nirvanic after-life of clicking cameras, clips of cash, and a cameo on Baywatch". Wavescapes, which runs from 28 July to 1 August at the KwaSuka Theatre and Suncoast Mall, will also screen the South Afr documentary film Zulu Surf Riders.

The film documents the story of Cyril and Mishak Mqade, who hail from Umzumbe on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Apart from overcoming the rigours and rip tides of the sea, the youngsters had to overcome traditional taboos about the ocean. With minimum support, the Mqade brothers bring self-realisation to interested youngsters in their community by teaching them to ride waves.

Two films about sharks are set to pique the interest of surfers. With the support of the Save our Seas Foundation, Wavescape has committed to educating surfers about the critical role sharks play in the ocean, screening the feature documentary Sharkwater and a South African-made short called Shark Angels.

Another premiere at Wavescapes is the artistic surf documentary Thread, featuring the sand art of Jim Denevan, who uses beaches at low tide as giant canvasses for vast patterns the size of a cricket oval. There is a gritty documentary about surfing in the Vietnam War called Between the Lines, and Sea Fever, a lyrical film about surfi g in Ireland, including the giant waves of Aileens (Aill n Searrach).

 "One of my favourites is Sliding Liberia, a beautifully made film aboutsurfing in war-torn Liberia. It adds gravitas to our line-up, which is rich and varied this year. Surfing movies are no longer just wave after wave, with punk rock providing a monotonous sound track!" he said.

www.cca.ukzn.ac.za
www.wavescape.co.za

Survey: Map Surfing’s future 

More African Surfing News available here
Check the latest Africa Surf Reports and Forecasts

New! B2B News ASBE-Surf   |  Receive News-Alerts

Spike

Film - Surfersvillage