Surf’s Up
The Aotearoa Surf Film Festival (ASFF) will be in Queenstown and Wānaka this week. It’s the 14th year for the touring surf film festival, which is held annually at the end of summer. Celebrating the best of surf culture, surf cinema and our connection to the environment.
This year, a curated selection of nine local and international surf feature films, documentaries and short films will be showcased, and in true Kiwi style, the festival is passionate about taking these short films to the masses. It originated over the hill in Wānaka with goals to harbour creativity within the surf community.
“Wānaka local Nick Stephenson started the festival to celebrate surf media and surf culture within New Zealand and get filmmakers from New Zealand enthusiastic and pumped to create some awesome surf films,” says Murphy-Harris, festival owner. “We tour the country in autumn, which is the best time of the year for surf. It’s basically a massive road trip showcasing the best films that were submitted for the film festival.”
While earlier in the tour’s history they didn’t have as many locally-grown submissions, Kiwi films take up almost half the spots in this year’s tour. The remaining films come out of Australia, America and Taiwan.
“Kiwis just weren’t putting it as a priority, or maybe just weren’t making surf films that often. There were only half a dozen filmmakers in the country. Now we’re getting heaps of really high quality films produced by Kiwis and in New Zealand, which is really cool because we’ve been the only real showcase of it. That’s what it’s all about – celebrating surf culture in New Zealand and also celebrating that on film – making films about Kiwi surfing and culture.”
One of the Kiwi films that will be shown is Bread & Butter, an independent South Coast film, showcasing three years of surfing – through workdays, family life and fleeting swells. It follows a dedicated few that are committed to finding waves and living their lives shaped by a constant pull to the ocean. Wāhine Waveriders is another Kiwi film that celebrates three generations of Māori female surfers from the Pou whānau (family) in Southland.
From across the ditch there’s Inner Mechanics, which focuses on big-wave surfer Russell Bierke and how he takes on paddling into some of the biggest, most remote barrels. There’s also Haus Tumbuna, which is a socially engaged project and commissioned documentary film in Ulingan Bay, Papua New Guinea that documents the establishment of a self-sustaining, culturally specific timber surfboard factory within the local community. And from America, there’s First In, Last Out, a documentary about Christa Funk, one of the few professional female water photographers, who specialises in capturing Hawaii’s Pipeline. There’s plenty more great, inspiring films on the lineup, so be sure to head to the festival’s website to learn more about each of them.
Despite our location a wee ways away from the beach, support for the festival here has grown over the years. Murphy-Harris says the festival is always well-received in Queenstown and Wānaka because there are a lot of surfers living around our region as well as people who love the outdoors. Each year the shows sell out in this area, something many of those living on the coast don’t expect.
“It’s pretty amazing to see surfers and non-surfers coming along and enjoying the films. I think people like to see a mix of some high-quality international films, that are often of countries that people have never seen, as well seeing their homegrown flavour and seeing waves that they’re familiar with for surfers, or beaches they’re familiar with,” Murphy-Harris says.
The Aotearoa Surf Film Festival will be at Wānaka Community Hub on Tuesday, 24 March and at World Bar in Queenstown on Wednesday, 25 March. Tickets, a list of the films and more information can be found at asff.co.nz
