Times are tough for surfers in America. Of course, it’s been a challenging year for the entire planet but the summer doldrums have settled heavily on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts specifically. Our country’s embarrassing mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic has made the once routine seasonal escape through international travel impossible, while even travel within our own borders is a risky nightmare.
The waves are flat, we’re stuck at home, and most of us feel like we’ve been on house arrest since March — all the more apparent while we watch surfers in other parts of the world gradually return to the very things we miss. So staycation it is for Americans!
Since we can’t hop on flights and group gatherings and events haven’t come back to life yet, the Portuguese Surf Film Festival is providing surfers all over the world with some inspiration through this year’s virtual screening format. The festival will feature 17 brand new films from around the world, something the creative team behind the PSFF prides itself on, having cultivated a collection of eclectic and diverse, visually compelling stories to inspire an international audience.
So while it will be impossible for most of us to travel to the beautiful and historic seaside town of Ericeira, Europe’s only World Surfing Reserve and the location for the festival, there’s still a way for everybody to enjoy this year’s event. Each night from July 29 through August 2, viewers can register and join live stream screenings for free.
So it may not suffice for all the surf trips you thought you’d be taking this summer, but tracking down a few bottles of Portugal’s finest Vinho Verde, making yourself a proper meal, and settling in for the ultimate surf movie night is a quarantine-friendly evening to be enjoyed.
Editor’s Note: For more information on live streaming, screening times, and the official film selections, visit the Portuguese Surf Film Festival and give them a follow on Insta @surffilm.
