WAVESCAPES

Surf films at Durban International Film Festival.

A premiere at the fifth Wavescapes Surfing Film Festival in Durban this year is set to prove that South Africa has some of the biggest waves and best big wave surfers in the world. Red Bull’s Perfect Ten documents ten years of big wave surfing at the hair-raising Dungeons break off Hout Bay in Cape Town, and is one of 11 films to be screened at Wavescapes, which again teams up with the Durban International Film Festival (July 23 - August 2) in 2009.

Wavescapes, which runs between July 26 and August 1, features a foamy mixture of topics, from The Glacier Project, about sub-zero surfing in swells created by cliff-sized chunks of ice falling from glaciers, to Black People Don’t Swim, the story of Kwezi Qika, a champion longboarder who has overcome great odds to reach the pinnacle of his sport.

With support by the marine conservation group Save Our Seas Foundation, an environmentally friendly theme runs through Wavescapes this year. In Out There eco-surfers travel the world to study the effects of human development on sensitive regions. The Glacier Project highlights the effects of climate change.

The opening film, screened under the stars at the Bay of Plenty lawns on Durban’s Golden Mile on July 26, was Fly in the Champagne, a powerful and drama-filled surf action film about the fiercest rivalry in professional surfing: Andy Irons versus Kelly Slater. The screening featured efforts by Ocean Minded, who were behind the evening, to spread a message about keeping beaches clean while recycling all waste generated by the estimated 1,000 people who enjoyed a few family hours near the surf spot immortalised by Shaun Tomson.

Wavescapes now runs at SunCoast Nu Metro until August 1 where the indoor component of the festival is taking place.

Other films include Inside Teahupoo, One Track Mind, Musica Surfica and Welcome to my Paradise. The footage shot in Inside Teahupoo at this world-famous reef break in Tahiti marks another leap in the technology of filming waves from inside the curling tube. One Track Mind has been described as a quick-fire burst of adrenal overload as the filmmaker delves into the minds of the world’s top professional surfers.

Musica Surfica represents the intersection of art, music and surfing, starring Australian surf legend Derek Hynd and Richard Tognetti, leading violinist and Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Welcome to my Paradise, a home-grown short film, tracks the story of two sandcastle builders who ply their trade just metres from where the outdoor screening takes place at the Bay of Plenty.

For the full DIFF programme visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or contact on 031 260 2506 or 031 260 1816.