There’s no debate, surf films have changed drastically. This generation’s athletes rarely get together for a slate of trips around the globe with Championship Tour talent and put together a feature-length project. That used to be the norm. It used to be how we got to see and learn about our favorite surfers on tour outside of magazine covers and articles. And few people have been as good at this style of surf-focused filmmaking as Taylor Steele, who introduced Trilogy back in 2007.
Today, we’re saturated with daily content from all levels of athletes through their social media channels and documentary surf vlogs on YouTube. Recreating a project like the original Trilogy is an outside-the-box endeavor in 2024, which is exactly what Trilogy: New Wave seems to be attempting.
According to a press release, the production company Utopia acquired the rights to make a modern-day addition to the Trilogy concept directed by Aether Film’s Andrew Mackenzie. The new film is set to release late this fall and it pairs Griffin Colapinto, Ethan Ewing, and Seth Moniz on trips to Indonesia, Peru, South Africa, and Tahiti. It appears to be a look inside their lives on tour and how that influences their perspectives on a life of surfing — how refreshing something as simple as a surf trip can be.
“Most of the time we see each other around tour events and we’re kind of on our own programs,” Ewing says in the film.
“Sometimes you can forget the fun of surfing and why we do it and why we started,” adds Moniz.
“Trilogy: New Wave is really a coming-of-age-story, as we see the guys mature into the top surf talent in the world. Their genuine friendship helps to unlock success, but don’t be fooled, there’s also a real rivalry between the three,” said Mackenzie. “As they say ‘iron sharpens iron,’ and you see the guys push each other to new heights with each surfing longer, and progressing more quickly than they would alone.”
