Gum for my boat (2009)

Welcome to Bangladesh. It is one of the poorest, overpopulated and inefficiently-governed nations in Asia. Many of the direct victims of the social inequality that pervades in the country are street children. But, although the future seems rather grim for these kids, there are people that continue fighting to change things and to bring a spark of joy to their lifes.

Cox Bazar, a fishing town in southern Bangladesh, was chosen back in 2001 by the NGO SSurf the Nations to receive a full aid program that included not only social and medical assistance but also the founding of a local surf club. As the Bangladesh Surf Club started its activity ( with over 35 surfboards and bodyboards donated) it became an instant success. Presently there are over 70 members, boys and girls that share their love for the sport.b And, how the members of Surfing the Nations like to stress after eight years of working for the community "the members of the surf club, are no longer categorized as ´the street kids` or ´the uneducated`, they are now recognized as surfers. With this new founded identity, a community of young men and woman are working together to serve their city. Participating in large beach cleanups, teaching ocean safety, swimming lessons and of course surfing; they have enthusiastically embraced the motto of Surfing The Nations - surfers giving back".

What you get in Gum for my Boat, is a rigorous account of the events that changed the poor community. The documentary results in a well-filmed movie, greatly edited and filled with equal moments of sadness and hapiness at the same time. The redemptive power of surfing in a depressed community makes it a movie hard to forget for a long time. I think I have something in my eye now...

Verdict: 7/10

Website of the movie: http://www.gumformyboat.com/

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Kelly Slater in Black and White (1991)

Facts are facts: 10 world titles and 46 WTC wins. Ladies and Gentleman: Kelly Slater. Not only arguably the best competition surfer of all time but also the only one that made the breakthrough into american mainstream culture, achieving something like a rock star celebrity status. However, Kelly´s success didn´t came out of the blue. Kelly allied from the beginning of his career talent and consistency in his performances taking many of them to absolute perfection.

In the early nineties, when "Kelly Slater in Black and White" was being filmed, his career was already booming: world champion at the tender age of twenty. All the traits of his surf style were already there. You see a young Slater (with lots of hair back then) clean-cutting Lowers´s waves like no other.

The final result is nothing special. The film is basically a collection of surf clips and interviews that in some cases are quite dull. The music is mostly made by Seattle bands from the nineties, such as Mother Love Bone and others. In short, the very importance of this movie is as an historical document that shows of the dawn of a legend in surfing. Just that makes it a solid recommendation for everyone who enjoys to watch surf history as it happened.

Next watch a video where Kelly talks about the movie.

A pleasant surprise (2009)

Well, the titles sums it all up really. Who would expect that one of the best surf movies of the last decade would come straight out of New Jersey? With this flick the garden state surfing community has definitely conquered its place and respect.

The film follows day by day the fast growing surf scene in N.J. Surfing in the east is much harder than many would imagine: thumping beach breaks, cold water and quick tropical storms are just a tiny fraction of what many endure to make what they truly love to do in those meloncolic beaches.

Beautifully filmed in 16 mm, the duo of directors Nick Zegel and Kyle Pahlow made an astonishing peace of art. After all, it is the culmination of three years of footage and standing interaction with the locals. The account you get is both realistic and entertaining.

The movie completes its uniqueness with an ecletic set of music bands: Yeasayer, Mondoggies, The Rubies, Here we go Magic and many others.

Here you can find an interesting interview with the directors.

Check out on http://www.apleasantsurprisefilm.com/ for more.

Riding giants (2004)

Big wave riders will always have a special place among the community. When the smallest waves are 20 feet high everything is being taken to a whole new level. Not only the hazards involved are life threatening but also the challenge becomes too unbearable for even the most of the world´s skilled surfers.

When Z-Boy Stacy Peralta decided to start the project of making a movie about the world´s best town inners everyone knew it was going to be in good hands. After all Stacey helped to define surf culture as we know it today. Riding Giants is the first film Stacy did after the resounding success of "Dogtown and Z boys", which was the account of his own youth as part of the legendary zephyr skateboard team.

Riding giants remains the best movie on the subject we can find. It is an accurate historical overview over the beginnings of giant waves riding from the beaches of hawaii to the coast of California. It helps us understand how legendary waves such as Teahupoo,Cyclops, Pipeline or Mavericks together with names like Greg Noll, Jeff Clark or Mickey Munoz became more and more ingrained in surf mythology. Unmissable.

Morning of the earth (1971)

Forget the jet skis, the highly planned trips, the satellite imaging, or those expensive surfsuits. In 1971 all people had were surfboards and some maps. It was an age filled with pure romanticism around the surf community. Firm believers of these principles, a group of australians took the decision to surf the coasts of north Australia, Hawaii and Bali having only by company the old volkswagen and a video camera.

Far from living for themselves, the surfers connected with the local communities and embodied an attitude of liberty and peace towards nature and other surfers.You get the idea: hippie culture was in its heyday and more than any other, this film reflects in every sense that era. A must-watch for every surfer.

Next, watch the famous opening sequence of the film.