Surfing tends to attract a certain kind of person: the vagabond, the outsider, adventurer/risk-takers, those looking for the rawest – and most uplifting – experiences life can offer.
One such is Californian Dick Metz, now 93, who caught his first wave aged seven on a redwood surfboard weighing nearly 50kgs. In 1958, Dick set off on a three-year surfing adventure around the world and upon his return told his friend Bruce Brown about his travels. It was the inspiration for Brown’s film The Endless Summer – perhaps the most famous and well-loved surf films of all time.
BBFF2022 is happy to be screening the Australian Premiere of a lively documentary that reveals the untold story behind Dick’s adventures – and the 1966 film – with the documentary Birth of the Endless Summer. For veteran boardriders it will stir great memories of their own endless summers; for grommets it will inspire their personal search for fun. For everyone it will serve as a reminder that the beach is the place to go.
The original film, The Endless Summer itself, will have a special retrospective screening at Lennox Head Cultural Centre on Sunday October 23 as 1 half of a double feature with Waterman.
If Metz was the father of modern surfing, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku is its godfather – a legend in his own country and globally, a towering figure who showed what it was to play with dignity, to mix fun and nobility, to reach the pinnacle of a sport and remain humble. His story is told in the powerful, family-friendly documentary Waterman – a word still used in surfing circles in Byron and beyond as the ultimate accolade for someone who acquits him or herself with confidence, knowledge and humility in the waves.
Kelly Slater calls him the King of Surfing, but Duke was also an Olympic superstar and a Hawaiian icon. From modest roots in Waikiki, Duke swam his way to fame, becoming the face of a changing Hawaii – and a vital part of its tourism industry – as it evolved from an independent kingdom to the 50th American state.
Brilliant, beautiful and black, Duke shattered records and defied racism to bring surfing to the world. Narrated by Jason Momoa, Waterman features commentary from surfing’s biggest stars, including newly-crowned Olympic gold medallist Carissa Moore, while relating Hawaii’s history and the meaning of Aloha.
Duke travelled, of course, but he had all he needed in the waters of his home isles. For decades now the search for the perfect wave has taken Australians – and surfers of every nationality – all around the world, from Bali to Biarritz, Mexico to Morocco. Portugal is a huge drawcard on that global circuit – especially for the big wave challenges at Nazare.
The tiny town with the giant waves is a stopping point for renowned skipper and life-long thrill-seeker Matt Knight, his family and world-class big wave surfer Andrew Cotton on their journey into the most remote and dangerous regions of the Atlantic Ocean that is documented in Savage Waters – a hunt for buried treasure on a reef-fringed island group, and a search for a mythical, never before ridden wave. Narrated by the legendary Charles Dance, Savage Waters boasts jaw-dropping cinematography, mind-boggling adventure, and heart-warming footage showing the family that surfs together laughs together. Director Mikey Corker captures several catamaran journeys into uncharted waters with injury, illness and deadly danger constant reminders of the thrill of living in the moment – and at the edge.
Much-travelled and award winning filmmaker Peter Hamblin, who brought us Let’s Be Frank and Riss, returns with another masterpiece this year, titled Sweet Adventure. The affable South African director’s latest life-enhancing gem features boats, beats, boards, beers and barrels and a posse of pro surfers, including Albee Layer, Matt Meola, Bryan Perez, Marcello Castellanos and pro skateboarder Nora Vasconcellos. Narrated by the affable Selema Masekela, Sweet Adventure is a heady mix of tourism promo, surf adventure, comedy and love letter to El Salvadore.
A surf/life/ecology film that will have huge appeal to local audiences comes from one of Byron’s own, Matty Hannon. The Road to Patagonia is a gorgeous visual record of what Matty calls “a physical and spiritual odyssey to better understand our place in nature”. Matty had 16 years’ experience travelling and living in the world’s most obscure surf spots before setting himself the challenge of travelling down the entire west coast of the Americas, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
He encounters surfers and fellow travellers, including two Aussie jackaroos who provide him with horses and riding tips, as well as shamen, farmers, environmentalists and tribespeople fighting to protect the natural world around them. And he meets the beautiful Heather. The lives of these two strangers intertwine for the surfing and road adventure of a lifetime, facing physical and emotional challenges that bring out resilience and expose vulnerability.
This debut feature is a stunning success, with superb natural world photography, a unique and compelling soundtrack from Swedish singer/songwriter Daniel Norgren, and a storyline that encompasses First People’s wisdom, ayahuasca, meditation, mountains, and mountainous waves, motorbike mayhem, masculine sensitivity, and burgeoning love.
The Road to Patagonia is compelling viewing; often funny, always awe-inspiring, and immensely uplifting. A candidate for the Best Film Award at BBFF2022, it will stir viewers into contemplating hitting the road themselves, for their own enlightening journey.
Such films go way beyond the “Surf Movie” genre to include much of the human condition, and the Festival’s other documentaries tell similarly consciousness-expanding stories, revealing much that is weird and wonderful about our complicated species.
These outstanding feature films are supported throughout the Festival by a range of short films inspired by the surf, from all over the world.
Outside of the cinema there is a diverse and exciting range of events on offer – from the glamour of the Opening Night red carpet welcome to immersive experiences (within a dome!), talks, workshops and opportunities to meet and mingle with some of contemporary cinema’s most remarkable creatives. And of course, the beach is never very far away. Immerse yourself in wonder, and join us in shining light in darkness, for 10 days of cinematic celebration.
The 16th Byron Bay Film Festival runs from October 21-30, at Palace Cinemas Byron Bay
TICKETS SELL FAST SO BOOK EARLY TO AVOID MISSING OUT.
To learn more about BBFF2022 and stay up to date with the latest festival news, visit:
Website: www.bbff.com.au
Facebook, Twitter: @byronbayfilmfest
Instagram, YouTube: @byronbayfilmfestival
LinkedIn: Byron Bay International Film Festival
BBFF2022 SCREENING TIMES
BIRTH OF THE ENDLESS SUMMER – AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
7.30pm Saturday 22 Oct
Byron Theatre
Encore
12.30pm Sunday 30 Oct
Palace Byron Bay
SAVAGE WATERS - AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
6.30pm Thursday 27 Oct
Palace Byron Bay
SWEET ADVENTURE – AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
5pm Saturday 29 Oct
Byron Theatre
THE ENDLESS SUMMER
3.30pm Sunday 23 Oct
Lennox Head Cultural Centre
Plays in Double Feature with Waterman
THE ROAD TO PATAGONIA – WORLD PREMIERE w Q&A (SOLD OUT)
7.30pm Wednesday 26th Oct
Byron Theatre
Second screening has now been put on sale via bbff.com.au and is on at Palace Cinema 29/10/22 – 8.15pm.
There will be a Q&A after the film with Matty Hannon – Director / filmmaker, his journey of a lifetime!
WATERMAN – AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
6.30pm Sunday 23 Oct
Lennox Head Cultural Centre
These films play with some great surf and water related shorts – click here for more information.
