October Sun Films

The surfing documentary genre dates back to Bud “Barracuda” Browne’s early films that he shot in Hawaii in the 1940s. In 1953, Browne released his first film, Hawaiian Surfing Movie, which he screened at a California high school and advertised with handmade signs. Films like Browne’s, and the artists he inspired, soon began incorporating soundtracks, helping to promote the surf music sound to a wider audience as well.With the release of Bruce Brown’s 1966 film Endless Summer, critics began viewing surf films as works of art. The film follows two surfers, Mike Hinson and Robert August, as they chase summer around the world, visiting Africa, Australia, Hawaii, New Zealand, and Tahiti. Endless Summer‘s soundtrack was provided by The Sandals, whose theme for the film is one of the best known in the genre, and the film helped to showcase the power and beauty of surfing to a wider audience. The Library of Congress added the film to the United States National Film Registry in 2002.Modern surf film-makers follow in the footsteps of these early giants, while also adding their own artistic perspective.

• Thicker than Water (2000): Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson and his friend Chris Malloy directed this film, which takes an even more global approach to surfing, showcasing footage from sites as diverse as Indonesia, India, and Ireland. Well-known surfers like Kelly Slater and Shane Dorian appear in the film. The music is also more diverse than early surf films, including folk rock (Jack Johnson), reggae (Finley Quaye), and funk (The Meters).
• Riding Giants (2004): Skater/surfer Stacy Peralta was behind this modern classic, which begins at the beginning of surfing and eventually catches up to the specific art of big wave riding, in which surfers seek out waves that can top out at 70 feet. Roger Ebert said that the film helped to show him “altogether another reality” when it comes to surfing. The soundtrack features artists such as David Bowie, Bill Haley & His Comets, Linkin Park, and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
• Out of Place (2009): If you thought surfers didn’t exist in Cleveland, Ohio, think again. This film by Scott Ditzenberger and Darrin McDonald chronicles surfers on Lake Erie who are bound by their families and business commitments from seeking out other locations. The biggest waves occur in the winter, and the film’s strangest scenes involve a Great Lakes Eastern Surfing Association competition held in the snow.