If you’re like me and call Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks home, you won’t have to wait long or travel far to immerse yourself in an evening of incredible surf cinema — all while supporting a cause focused on protecting our precious coastal environments. Indeed, we are fortunate to be the first stop on the annual Save The Waves Film Festival’s East Coast tour when it takes over Wave Riding Vehicles in Virgina Beach on Friday, August 19.
Save The Waves Film Festival is an annual international film tour and fundraiser that benefits Save The Waves’ environmental programs and campaigns. The organization believes that “movies alone can’t change the world – but the people who watch them can. Our interest is not to make films promoting nor glorifying activism, but rather film as activism.” From a present-day reprieve of pioneer Gerry Lopez at Uluwatu to dedicated, environmentally-minded artists blazing their own trails in Portugal; the lineup of motion pictures offers a global perspective on the past, present and future of our sport and lifestyle.
While the subsequent list is not exclusive to the Virginia Beach showing, here are four reasons to clear your schedule for the festival when it comes within driving distance of your own hometown:
1. Save The Waves is a righteous environmental organization.
I don’t mean righteous in the Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures sense. Save The Waves’ vision is a world where waves and coastlines are cherished and protected. Naturally, surfing provides a proactive vehicle for long term coastal conservation; but that means surfers must be those driving the vehicle. Show up and show that our community walks the walk when it comes to preserving and protecting the coastal environment. After all, our community, alongside coastal communities up and down the Eastern Seaboard, spoke out against new offshore drilling and won. We should be celebrating that.
2. The feature films aren’t the only bangers of the bunch.
Fifteen short films are featured in the festival. Like their long-form cousins they cover the breadth and depth of surf culture from environmental status reports to metaphysical explorations. High-performance enthusiasts should enjoy “Cold & Lovable” featuring Cam Richards and Albee Layer on a Pacific Northwest exploration; while “Los Buscagigantes: Kohl Christensen” explores a dynamic friendship between the film’s namesake and Ramon Navarro.
3. But seriously, the feature films are def bangers.
Three heavy hitters headline the festival, and the one at the top of the list, “The More Things Change” directed by Nathan Myers, has me counting down the days to the premier. Myers chronicles Gerry Lopez’s return to one of the legendary Balinese breaks he discovered some 40 years ago — Uluwatu — to find modernization and development along its shoreline. “Las Olas” by Joel Sharpe tells the story of six surfers on a transformative Central American trip and “Skeleton Sea” by Maurtiz Solberg profiles two lifelong Portugese friends who transform beachside litter into stunning artwork.
4. The festival’s selection committee is righteous as well.
OK, I have to admit to being a little biased here; I grew up in Virginia Beach with Save The Waves Film Festival Director Trey Highton. That said, I know first-hand that salt water absolutely runs through his veins and few, if any, people on Earth are as passionate about surfing and our environment. He’s joined on the committee with Save The Waves executive director Nik Strong-Cvetich and a distinguised crew of surfers, filmmakers, creatives and academics alike. Simply put: trust their taste in quality surf films.
Editor’s Note:
The 2016 Save The Waves Film Festival is presented by Pacifico and GoPro For a Cause, with support from Parley, Patagonia, Peak Design, Clif Bar, Klean Kanteen, and The Inertia. All Save The Waves Film Festival events strive to be plastic-free, so feel free to bring your own reusable cup or purchase a STW/Klean Kanteen collab steel pint cup at the event. The Virginia Beach event will feature VIP catering from Waterman’s Surfside Grille and live music from Bennett Wales. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.savethewaves.org/
Stay tuned for future dates in Seattle, Portland, Australia and Mexico. The Save the Waves Film Festival’s 2016 Tour schedule is as follows:
U.S. East Coast Tour Dates
8/19 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Wave Riding Vehicles, 1900 Cypress Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
8/27 – Long Beach Island, NJ @ Farias Surf & Sport, 2800 Long Beach Blvd, Ship Bottom, NJ 08008
9/2 – East Hampton, NY @ Guild Hall, 158 Main St, East Hampton, NY 11937
U.S. West Coast Tour Dates
11/3 – San Diego, CA @ Bird’s Surf Shed, 1091 W Morena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110
11/5 – Dana Point, CA @ Ocean Institute, 24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr, Dana Point, CA 92629
11/10 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Patagonia Outlet, 415 River St., #C Santa Cruz, CA 95060
11/11 – Venice, CA @ Farm League, 668 Rose Ave, Venice, California 90291
11/19 – San Francisco, CA @ Victoria Theater, 2961 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
