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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.
Podcast Sponsor: Surfing’s Evolution and Preservation Foundation
Principal Sponsors: State of Florida Division of Arts and Culture, Volusia County, Roark, YETI, Sun Bum, Wagner Vasileros – aka The Lawyer Dude, Cap’n Lu’s – A Health Food Store for Pets, Anson Stoner, Globe Brand Footwear, and Atlantic Center for the Arts.
Major Sponsors: Persimmon Hollow, Cronin Surfboards, Florida Virtual School, Brian Layman Wealth Management,Dragon Alliance, Red Dog Surf Shop, Kembali Board Shack, Café Verde, and Clancy’s Cantina
NSB Sponsors: Flaunt Electric Bicycles, Scott Yurchison Real Estate, Daytona Climbing Company, LunDev Homes, Nixon, Mangrove Bay Design, Biological Consulting Services, Dr. Phil Stephens at MyEyeDr, Funxion IT, Pura Vida Bracelets, Beachside Tavern, Solento Organic Tequila, Natural Health Practices, Magnolia Acres, White Claw, and Surfrider Foundation Flagler/Volusia.
Media Partnerships include: Surfline, The Surfer’s Journal, American Surf Magazine, Surf Splendor Podcast Network, Beach Grit, The SurfNetwork, and Encyclopedia of Surfing.
Encyclopedia of Surfing provides our historical and archival needs.