Rev Jules posted on July 18, 2007 10:55
Until 2007, the idea of an Irish film about surfing was, well, rather like a Jamaican film about bob sleighing but now a new wave of Irish filmmakers, all with close links to Ireland's surfing community have stepped forward to commit a serious, new vision of surfing to celluloid that is far removed from Hollywood's sunlit Malibu centric image of the sport.
Firstly, there is surfer Naomi Britton's elegaic and poetic tale of the early days of Irish surfing, 'The Silver Surfari' which premiered in March and has been touring the country to packed audiences prior to a television broadcast.
Next up is Gavin Gallagher's, "And Then The Wind Died...", which documents the discovery and surfing of Ireland's big wave beast Aileens off the Cliffs of Moher, a wave that is akin to the monster surf of Waimea Bay. The film premieres at the Cois Fharraige Music festival in September.
Finally, there is Joel Conroy's big budget, 'Wave Riders', which interweaves an account of the advent of tow surfing in Ireland with the life story of Irish American surfing pioneer George Freeth.
Taken together, these films offer a comprehensive account of Irish surfing, where it came from, where it is right now and where it is going. Sound Waves applauds these young filmmakers and encourages the patrons of Cluas to seek out these films, if only to enjoy the often glorious music used on their soundtracks.
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