The founders of the San Diego Surf Film Festival are up to it again. And for good reason. The entity is introducing its newest party, the Action International Film Festival which runs from October 20-22, presenting some of the finest in action/extreme sports cinema at the Misfit Pictures HQ in La Jolla, California.
The SDSFF began when San Diego-based filmmakers, Misfit Pictures, found themselves astonished that their award-winning documentary film, Manufacturing Stoke (2011) was playing at surf film festivals from New York City to Sydney to London and yet San Diego (of all places!) had no surf-centric film festival of its own. In similarly quick fashion, the Action International Film Festival evolved from a brainchild to a full-blown event.
Director and festival co-organizer Petra Kavanagh explains, “We created the SDSFF in 2012 because we wanted to gather our ocean-loving San Diego community and celebrate what we all love about our surf culture. We had no idea it would become one of the biggest surf film festivals in the world. I believe the AIFF will actually have a much broader appeal because folks in Southern California simultaneously invented and grew up smack dab in the center of the action sports industry. As people pursue these action and extreme sports, they naturally come in contact with, and are inspired by, the environment.”
The Action International Film Festival’s tagline is, “Celebrating extreme sports and environmental activism through cinema,” and that is something we can all get behind. The AIFF will screen 16 adrenaline-soaked films beginning Thursday October 20 that feature everything from surfing to mountain-biking to backcountry skiing. In addition, officially Selected filmmakers will be in attendance for intimate question and answer sessions to give further insight into these fascinating films.
The level of production in the action sports world has surpassed Hollywood, plain and simple. The folks making these beautiful films eat, sleep and breathe filmmaking in incredibly hardcore environments. They are seeking to inform and showcase to others while shedding light on the various environmental, social, and political challenges. These people and their films are the real deal.
All films and events will take place at the Misfit Pictures HQ located at 565 Pearl St. #100 in La Jolla, Ca 92037. For entire schedule and tickets please visit the event website.
