We all need something to identify with. Or something that might even create our identity. And when humans find themselves in a less-than-desirable situation, they need that something to relate to even more. Identity and purpose. During the Ebola outbreak, that’s what a group of young surfers from a fishing village in Sierra Leone finds in the ocean when they join the Bureh Beach Surf Club.
Director Gugi van der Velden and producer Floris Loeff bring us Big Wata, a tale about this group of young West African surfers who discover how good the ocean is for the human spirit (so many of us can relate). The film is available to rent online now and according to Floris, has started gaining traction at film festivals around the world–it received Viewers Choice at the London Surf Film Fest, Best Surf Documentary at the Byron Bay International Film Festival and Best Soundtrack at the Ericeira Surf Film Festival.
Apparently, the surf club in the film has a pretty radical slogan: “Di waves go make you feel fine.” Ain’t that the truth?
You can rent Big Wata, here.
