2016 Films & Filmmakers
IT AIN'T PRETTY | 73 MINUTES | BY DAYLA SOUL
Directed by Dayla Soul
A Documentary About The Challenges And Triumphs Of Female Big Wave Surfers Fighting Sexism In The Water, In Competition, In The Media And In The Surf Industry With The Support Of A Closely-Knit Community Of Like-Minded Women. Featuring Ocean Beach Surfer Bianca Valenti’s Journey From Childhood Phenom To World-Class Big Wave Charger, This Probing, Incendiary And Thought-Provoking Film Takes You Inside A Growing Movement Of Women That Are Shattering The Shallow And Sexualized Images Of Female Surfers In The Media.
Including Interviews With Top Female Athletes And Awe-Inspiring Big Wave Surf Footage Filmed In The Icy Waters Of Ocean Beach, San Francisco And Mavericks - One Of The Biggest Waves On The Planet - This Film Empowers A New Generation Of Girls To Live Their Dreams And Overcome The Challenges They Face Along The Way.
WOMEN AND THE WAVES 2 | 40 MINUTES | BY GRACIEGIRL LLC
Filmmaker Heather Hudson
“The Women and the Waves 2” is a documentary surf film that celebrates women and their unique approach to surfing and life. The film looks at the state of surfing today from a feminine perspective and features positive role models that give back to people and the planet.
Following in the footsteps of the groundbreaking 2009 film, THE WOMEN AND THE WAVES; THE WOMEN AND THE WAVES 2 continues to explore the culture of surfing in relation to six surfers and their lives both in and out of the water.
THE WOMEN AND THE WAVES 2 emphasizes the notion that surfing is more than just a sport; it is a lifestyle, and serves as a backdrop for connections made between people, honoring the natural world, paying homage to loved ones past, and celebrating the cycle of life. Ultimately, the film is the portrayal that a life filled with gratitude for one another and the world we live in, is a life well lived. And when the joy of surfing is added to the equation it makes life that much more sweet!
GIRL GO BIG! | 10 MINUTES – BY THERESA STRAC
Filmmaker Theresa Strac
ALENA EHRENBOLD, a swiss surfer who lives far from the ocean wants to challenge herself with riding a big wave. Basque Big Wave Legend IBON AMATRIAIN becomes her trainer in Summer 2014. A few months later the swell pumps in at Roca Puta and the two finally get into the waves on a beautiful big wave day. Ibon brings her in the wave with the jetski and Alena rides her first big (epic) wave (the first swiss girl who ever did tow in surfing) at Roca Puta (Basque Country near Zarautz)!
WAY NORTH | 8:52 MINUTES – BY MATHIAS KOGEL
Production: Aline Bock and Lena Stoffel/ Editor: Mathias Kögel / Filmer: Matt McHattie, Sebastian Schramm/ Athletes: Lena Stoffel and Aline Bock
Two "Soulsurfers“, the mountains and the ocean. Blue skies or pouring rain, on the mountain or in the water, Aline Bock and Lena Stoffel had unforgettable moments on their „ Way North“. A Journey in an RV full of surfboards, skis, snowboards, splitboards and SUP (stand up paddle boards) boards. "We didn’t know what conditions awaited us, but Lena and I, we have this incredible passion for snow and waves and we wanted to combine both during one trip to the 'Lofoten' islands of Norway “, said athlete Aline Bock. Back home now and the two of them have not only captured a lot of shots for a stunning movie, but also the certainty of returning to this incredible place.
LUNAR | 8:35 MINUTES | BY ONDE NOSTRE
Filmmakers Onde Nostre Directed by Luca Merli
Onde Nostre in collaboration with Seea present Lunar, a film featuring Leah Dawson in Fuerteventura. In this strange and beautiful treeless landscape of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, Leah Dawson's creative spirit has space to expand freely as she creates music, hand shapes her second board and dances on water with power and grace.
Grounded by earth and charged with energy by water, Leah Dawson is a solar creature influenced by the moon’s gravitational pull, like the sea.
WORM DREAMS BIG: A TRIBUTE TO THE BENEVOLENT BAD-ASSES OF THE WOMEN'S LONGBOARDING COMMUNITY | 6:60 MINUTES | BY SEALEVEL TV
Filmmakers SeaLevel TV
Erin “Worm” Ashley’s has a big dream: raise awareness about the importance of early breast cancer detection by partnering with The Keep A Breast Foundation and throwing a good, old fashioned style surf contest with the best women longboarders in the world at First Point, Malibu, California.
Worm, professional logger and aloha gladiator, has a truly unique vision that run counter to the high-pressure, stress-inducing, modern surf contest rules. She believes (and proves) that rewarding surfers for skillfully sharing waves is the perfect recipe for celebration and revelry. Worm’s states, “Share in the good times, thow[ing] down zero bad vibes...that’s what I’m trying to maximize”.
“We haven’t gone so far as to call it a contest. We’re more hanging out, having a good surf. One of the things we miss is...sharing a wave together...it takes a lot of the contest out of contest. Showcasing women’s longboarding...is an epic thing. But to be able to do it for an incredibly rad cause is more important.”
McTAVISH - DEDICATED TO THE CRAFT SERIES: FEATURING ROISIN CAROLAN | 5:22 MINUTES | BY STEFAN JOSE
Directed, Filmed & Edited: Stefan José
Compelled to spend his entire life riding waves Bob McTavish started building surfboards in 1962. Today, over 50 years later, his vision is alive and well at the McTavish Factory in Byron Bay, Australia. This collection of portraits gives a glimpse into the people and moments that are ... dedicated to the craft.
LEAH DAWSON MIGHT SAVE WOMEN'S SURFING | 5 MINUTES | BY THE INERTIA
Filmmakers Arnette for making this episode of CREATORS possible as well as to Greg Huglin, Larry Haynes, Andre Cricket, and Philipp Vasilev for their gorgeous cinematography.
Watching Leah Dawson surf is mesmerizing. It's a dance. “My biggest compliment is not that I surf like a man, but that I surf like a woman,” says Leah. “If someone watches me ride a wave, I want them at the end of it to know that I’m in love with the ocean.”
She smiles a lot, so that helps. But her movements are unique. And in getting to know her, whether overtly or not, it’s easy to decipher she has more ambitious plans that are naturally unfolding. Through her own resources and energy, she’s quickly becoming a modern ambassador for women’s surfing.
Dawson is also a storyteller. She makes compelling short films like Peanut Butter, a story about her relationship with a yellowed single fin that a lot of people might have thrown away. And she has a strong opinion about the representation of women in surfing. It’s not about sex. It’s not about performance in the water. For Leah, it’s about soul – another word so thoroughly bastardized from overuse that it’s sometimes hard to recognize when we see it. In Leah, it’s boiling. And she’s not militant or overzealous about how she’s profoundly adjusting the narrative in championing women’s surfing.
She’s just her. And that might be exactly what surfing needs.
BADA | 4:39 MINUTES | BY 38 PRODUCTIONS
BADA (the Korean word for ocean) is a short, filmed in Bali in the summer of 2016. It shows five surfer girls' journeying together to enjoy the surf and overall beauty of Bali. Surfers: EunKyung Jeon, Sunshine Shin, Hyojin Kim, Borabora Hwang, Zita Hwang. Sponsored by PIC and YVONNEB.
OFFICESCAPE | 4:18 MINUTES | BY RUEWAC PRODUCTIONS
Directed by Simon Cotter | Co Directed with R.Jones & R.Thompson
Commissioned to make a lifestyle short film for Saltrock Clothing, capturing the love of the outdoors and the beach, using local surfers that are affiliated to the brand.
ROAM | 3:41 MINUTES | BY TYLER HAFT
Directed / Cinematography / Edit by Tyler Haft
Produced by Kelia Moniz
ROAM features surfing highlights as well as the lifestyle accompanied by traveling to multiple locations around the globe. Soundtrack- "Begin the Beguine" performed by Beegie Adair Trio "Butterscotch" performed by Makaya McCraven
BRUNA | 3:40 MINUTES | BY TYLER HAFT
Directed & Edited by: Tyler Haft
Written by: Bruna Schmitz
Executive Producer: Erika Frantz Seward
DP: Tyler Haft
AC: Trevor Pikhart
Water Cinematography: Scott Soens
"Bruna" is an inspiring story of humble beginnings for professional surfer Bruna Schmitz who was born and raised in the small fishing community of Matinhos, Brazil. At the age of 9, Bruna discovered a passion for the ocean and surfing, which lead to a future of travel and opportunities beyond the village borders. With these opportunities came difficult sacrifices of leaving family members behind for over a decade to venture out alone and pursue her dreams.
ALOHA NALU | 2:46 MINUTES | BY STEVEN BRIAND
Filmmaker Steven Briand
In this film, Steven worked with Team O’Neill surfer and professional athlete Malia Manuel to capture a unique perspective on a single day’s surf session in Western Australia. Utilizing drones for the majority of the videography, Steven plays with perspective, taking the viewer into, above, and beyond the waves.
OASIS | 2:26 MINUTES | BY MICHAEL VELTMAN
Film & edit: Michael Veltman | Drone footage: Chris Rogers | title & credit design: Wesley Lewis | music: Heinali - Warmer Pham - Way Out
Bianca Buitendag made a last minute decision to venture just beyond the borders of her home country, discovering an oasis of wonder not many people have had the privilege of uncovering before. Could she be the first girl to ever surf Skeleton Bay?