The Ombak Bali Film Festival attracted over 700 genuinely stoked people. Photo: We-Like.org
Bali, Indonesia July 20, 2011
There is a film festival for just about every subculture in the world these days. They are typically fancy affairs with V.I.P.s traipsing warm, sandy beaches along the South of France or sipping cocktails on the balconies chic ski chalets amongst panoramic mountains.
Ombak Bali International Film Festival has all of the scenery but none of the pretension. What it lacks in red carpets, limos, penguin suits, and couture gowns, it makes up for with a genuinely stoked group of people that are ready to get their film on.
This year’s festival hosted over 700 Indonesian locals, surfers, vacationing families, and the requisite ex-pats, all sitting side by side in the sand or on the wooden decks of La Plancha Restaurant while experiencing a truly inspiring collection of surf films, music and art.
The thirteen films shown were the perfect mixture of freedom, fun and flash (Who is J.O.B. never fails to hype a crowd), making the festival a very successful endeavor. International guests like Taylor Steel and Nathan Myers made it to the stage to present an exclusive compilation of Innersection to the eager audience. After the cheers died down, Greg Huglin, director of the charming Surfing Dolphins took the stage for a meet and greet.
Attendees lounged on harem-esque seating and décor, sipping Bintangs or Red Bulls while watching a selection of the year’s best films. The gem of the festival was Splinters, a film that infiltrates a tight surf club in Papua New Guinea and explores the challenges each member faces in order to get a chance to train professionally in Australia. Opportunities like this don’t come often, especially for the women of the club, and the odds are considerably stacked against them. Because of the adversity they face, surfing is elevated above mere wave riding to near reverential levels for these surfers. It’s powerful and thought provoking.
Festival Founders Jolinde and Errol envision the Ombak Bali Film Festival as an opportunity for everyone, including the local community, to enjoy eye-opening films, “that go beyond the waves…and promote awareness of the environment and social issues.”
The commonality of surfing and love of the ocean has an ability to reach people, and few films achieve this as well as “Dark Side of the Lens.” Mickey Smith gives an amazing, in-depth look at what it’s like photographing some of Ireland’s heaviest waves. It’s not new, but always worth another look.
