10 of the very best surfing short films
- Text by Alex King
Surf filmmaking is a weird one. On paper, you don’t have much to work with: it’s just water crashing against the shore with people on boards using it to carry them along. But somehow, when it’s captured on film in the right way it becomes a heart-wrenchingly beautiful, transcendental and poetic experience.
The variety of ways filmmakers have interpreted surfing over the years is truly awe-inspiring, reaching into so many aspects of the culture and presenting it in ways you’d never imagine.
London Surf / Film Festival exists to celebrate the best surf filmmaking and returns 16 – 24 October 2015 for its fifth edition. They’ve just announced submissions are open for their Shorties strand: surf films guaranteed to blow your mind – in five minutes or less.
“The Shorties is about showcasing the wealth of homegrown talent on our shores, giving emerging and established filmmakers a platform on the world stage,” explains Festival Director Chris Nelson.
To encourage you to get out and shoot your own surf cinema masterpiece, here are 10 of the best shorts shown at LS / FF over the years.
Uncommon Ideals by Chris McClean and Mark Waters
The Shaper by Crayfish Films
Sea Fever by Tim Davies
Out of the Black and Into The Blue by Luke Pilbeam
Man & Sea by Ed Andrews
Breaking The Surface by Lucy Hawes
21 -158 by Ornella Hawthorn Gardez
On An Island by Greg Hardes & Jacob Proud
The Art Of Surfing by Tim Boydell
‘Til The Luck Runs Dry by Tim Boydell
The fifth edition runs 16 – 24 October 2015. Deadline for Shorties submissions is September 9. *Newsflash – this has now been extended to September 12.*
Head over to London Surf / Film Festival to find out more.
