In Neverland, author Tricia Shantz chronicles American and Australian surfers’ influence on the north coast of New South Wales in the 60’s and 70’s. Tricia witnessed the change and significant events and characters of Byron Bay and Lennox Head, watching them transform into the cultural centers they are today. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about this nexus of quality surf and the rich history behind its lure, you’re in for a great podcast. Enjoy. Her book is only available in Australia at this time. Follow @NeverlandtheBook if you want to communicate with Tricia about ordering a copy.
Find Surf Stories by Florida Surf Film Festival where ever you listen to podcasts. We have links to Apple Podcasts and Spotify here.
Our third quarter programming is coming up on Saturday, August 26, 2023, at Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Passes are now available and don’t forget to check out our annual Green Room Membership, which is the only way to roll if you want VIP treatment with reserved seats, meals, and drinks included.
French Director Leopold Belangers’ short documentary, Springtide, will open the night as it depicts the birth of wave riding in long isolated Myanmar. This beautiful film pulls back the curtain and gives a glimpse of a rarely seen culture and their journey into the world of surfing. Festival veteran Joe G shares his latest installment in the Cult of Freedom series with COF: The Shaun Part as Aussie ripper Shaun Manners tackles some of the heaviest slabs West Oz has on offer and tops it all off with massive punts and a blazing soundtrack. The first feature of the night, Chasing the Unicorn, from director Alan Van Gysen is a look into a wave that will have you questioning reality as Jordy Smith, Mikey February, and others trace the history of surfing in post-war Mozambique, while searching for the mythical wave known as the African Kirra.
Merry Kaliyuga, a short film from Horace Martins, aiming to use surfing as a medium to explore the striking duality between modernism and tradition in Morocco opens the second screening on Saturday night. Our feature film of the night is Big Wave Guardians from director Luke Stirtz and documents the DIY conception of surfing’s water safety heroes. Honolulu County Lifeguards and Firefighters, The Hawaiian Water Patrol, and the Big Wave Risk Assessment Group (BWRAG) risk their lives to reinvent water safety on a parallel track with the rising dangers of modern big wave surfing. We are especially proud and excited to be working in conjunction with the BWRAG organization as they will be here teaching a two-day Safety Summit Surf Responder course held at the Volusia County Lifeguard HQ in Daytona Beach this same weekend. Greg Long, Andrea Moller, and John Hoover will be leading the two-day training and will be attending the festival on Saturday night for a Q&A after the film. There are still a few spots available for the training so you can register here. This course is a comprehensive training that includes a CPR and first-aid certification plus first-hand training from some of the world’s leading big wave surfers that is applicable to surfers and waves of all levels. Join us for an unforgettable night of movies and community!
Here’s the anticipated schedule for the night:
August 26, 2023:
5:00 PM – Doors Open
6:30 PM –
10TH YEAR COMMENCEMENT with John Brooks, Festival Director
Springtide – Leopold Belanger, 8 mins
Cult of Freedom, The Shaun Part – Joe G, 18 mins
Chasing the Unicorn – Alan Van Gysen, 34 mins
Raffle – Roark, Globe, Creatures of Leisure
8:30 PM –
Merry Kaliyuga – Horace Martins, 12 mins
Big Wave Guardians – Luke Stirtz, 90 mins
Q&A with Greg Long, Andrea Moller and John Hoover
Raffle – Nixon, YETI, Cronin Surfboards
We are proud to have Monster Energy serve as our presenting sponsor again for this year’s festival, providing travel and lodging for the filmmakers who attend the festival.
For as many years as we’ve been dreaming about empty line-ups around the world, Sean Murphy has run Waterways Travel, a surf travel company, to accommodate our disposable income and our lust for adventure and perfection. He’s had a few adventures of his own, and on this episode, we get to hear a couple stories that will serve your commute well. Enjoy our chat with veteran traveler/dream-maker, Sean Murphy.
Find Surf Stories wherever you listen to podcasts. Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, etc.
From the northwest of Ireland, Richie Fitzgerald’s debut memoir, Cold Water Eden, has received incredible reviews and covers his history in big waves; Surfworld, the first surf shop in town; and endless anecdotes of visiting surfers dawning his door. From Tom Curren to Kelly Slater, Malloy brothers to Brad Gerlach, the characters and set-ups in Bundoran are world class, and so is the narrative, expertly woven with a pub-like feel, full of Richie’s epic charm and wit. This is the story behind his phenomenal book, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Barbarian Days, A Surfing Life from William Finnegan. Enjoy where ever you listen to podcasts.
When John Milius’s masterpiece, Big Wednesday, toured through Italy in the late 70’s, the local watermen responded by removing the mast and sails from their windsurf boards and birthing Italian surf culture. Fast forward to the early 80’s, and a nine year-old Emi Cataldi has a similar experience when a family windsurfing vacation is nearly ruined by a glassy windless day of one to two foot waves. At his fathers urging, Emi yanks the mast and sail off his board and never looked back. Emi discusses his surfing origins, extensive travel adventures with SurfExplore, and a harrowing kidnapping in Gabon that includes a threat to call Barack Obama! Enjoy where ever you listen to podcasts.
As we move through the tenth year of the Florida Surf Film Festival, we are proud to announce the second quarter programming coming up June 16th and 17th (Father’s Day Weekend) at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Passes are now available and don’t forget to check out our annual Green Room Membership, which is the only way to roll if you want VIP treatment with reserved seats, meals and drinks included.
Kicking off Friday night, we are stoked to announce “An Evening with Taylor Steele” following the week-long filmmaking residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. We will be showcasing some of Taylor’s work (announcement to come shortly) along with Q & A with Taylor and special guests. Enjoy an extended Q and A session with Taylor as well and come prepared with some deep dive topics.
Saturday night, June 17th, will start with Turbulences, a new short film from festival veteran Morgan Maassen, Let me Live, Keith Malloy’s in depth look into the life of British charger Tom Lowe, and Yama, a short film by Maddie Meddings following Australian Lucy Small as she travels to Ghana to link up with a pioneering group of female surfers and skaters. Stoker Machine, a short film by Darieus Legg will round out the first set with Darieus in attendance for a Q & A afterwards.
The night will close out with the second set beginning with Malia, a short bio piece on Hawaiian Malia Manuel by Morgan Maassen. Our feature documentary of the night will be Are You Serious by David Malcolm featuring Florida’s own Sterling Spencer. The film takes us alongside Sterling’s recovery journey as he navigates life and surfing with a traumatic brain injury.
Here’s the anticipated schedule for the night:
June 16th, 2023:
5:00 PM – Doors Open
6:30 PM –
10TH YEAR COMMENCEMENT with John Brooks, Festival Director
An Evening with Taylor Steele – Films To Be Announced
Q & A with Taylor Steele and special guests
Raffle – Roark, Globe, Creatures of Leisure
June 17th, 2023:
5:00 PM – Doors Open
6:30 PM –
Opening announcements with John Brooks, Festival Director
Turbulences – Morgan Maassen, 4 mins.
Let Me Live – Keith Malloy, 18 mins.
Yama – Maddie Meddings and Lucy Small, 25 mins.
Stoker Machine – Darius Legg with Q&A following, 12 mins.
8:30 PM –
Garden Variety – Harrison Roach, 9 mins.
Malia – Morgan Maassen, 16 mins.
Are You Serious? – David Malcolm, 45 mins.
We are proud to have Monster Energy serve as our presenting sponsor again for this year’s festival, providing travel and lodging for the filmmakers who attend the festival.
Submissions for the 2023 festival are open via our website here.
Florida Surf Film Festival Mission:
Florida Surf Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, public charity, invigorating surf culture and artistic appreciation by exhibiting contemporary documentary films with surfing as a focus from artist far and wide while also producing a story-driven podcast, literary group discussions, and artistic workshops.
Kevin grabs an old central Florida friend for this episode, Erik Gunderson. They met in high school and began surfing together around 1986, mostly willed by Kevin’s successful attempt to befriend this Dean Moriarty-type character. Erik lived, surfed, partied, and worked harder than the rest, which set the stage for some good times, friendship, and plenty of Floridian surf stories. Enjoy.
Listen to Surf Stories where ever you listen to podcasts.
Shoulder season generally implies smaller, playful waves and a generally mellow vibe… In this episode, we chat with Eden Saul of Dead Kooks Surfboards about a different, more horrific meaning. Listen in as Eden recounts the unthinkable disaster in paradise…twice! We delve into his early days of shaping influences, his direct to consumer business model, and his global shaping/travel schedule. Enjoy.
Enjoy Surf Stories where ever you listen to podcasts.
A self-taught filmmaker, Nathan Oldfield has always embraced surfing’s DIY culture—fixing dings at age 10 and shaping his own boards at 14. Photography and then video became his focus; he and friends would take turns, resisting the urge to leave the lens and paddle back out. Coupled with his teaching degree to pay the bills, making his evocative, beautiful films gave him an outlet to share his friends’ stories and surfing. In this episode, we chat with Nathan about his beginnings of falling in love with the ocean, and it’s surrounding imagery, the joys of passing on the stoke to his son, and the beauty of the everyday things in life. Enjoy.
Enjoy Surf Stories where ever you listen to podcasts.
If you’re one of the growing number of surfers enjoying your mid-length lately, you can and should thank Devon Howard for his contribution in creating one of the worlds best riding boards. We discuss his role in developing the Channel Islands Mid, his East Coast roots, and how some backyard farming funded his first ever barrel at Pipeline. Enjoy!
