Well, it finally happened. And it was worth the wait. Dirty Old Wedge, a film two years in the making, made its debut at the Newport Beach Film Festival and sold out three showings on its way to becoming the top ticket seller ever in the history of the festival. Dirty Old Wedge, from environmental consultant turned filmmaker Tim Burnham, tells a pretty rad story of a pretty radical wave, with archival footage that has never been seen. Plus some incredible characters that absolutely make the flick, even though footage of the Wedge is eye candy enough for most.
As if you needed reminding, the Wedge was created in the 1930s when the breakwall was built and became an intense epicenter for body surfing. Along came the boogie boarders in the 1980s and 90s and everything changed. Surf angst ensued, beatings in the surf continued, people lost their lives, but one thing remained constant: each spring, summer and fall, the mutant at the end of Balboa Peninsula jacked up with big south swells, creating a circus atmosphere in your favorite beach town. And Dirty Old Wedge captures it all in a compelling documentary that features some fantastic watermen.
Burnham, an Inertia contributor, pulled off the making of the flick with the help of young, passionate friends who were as invested in the story as he was. And thankfully, the NBFF isn’t your last chance to see it. The film plays at the San Diego Film Festival, which opens May 18, and will be available on DVD by the end of the summer.
