Films Nominated for Polls

On top of that, Who is JOB?, the self-produced film by maverick Jamie O'Brien, has been nominated for Best Surf Film and Best Tube Ride, with some of the sickest slabs you will see this year. The clip above shows only one.

Sea Of Darkness, which won Audience Choice Award at Wavescape in Durban in July this year, depicts the genesis of the G-Land surf camp in Indonesia, but it goes deeper, a lot deeper, and not just barrel riding. Well barrel riding, but also bowel roving, as the China White squirmed in the bellies of thrill-seeking adventurers trying to sustain their surf addiction habit by muling between surf travel destinations. Contains interviews of Rory Russell, Greg Noll, Bob McKnight, Bruce Raymond and Martin Daly, whose boat Indies Trader became the Quiksilver Crossing boat. The film is written and directed by Michael Oblowitz. His first surf film has seen global recognition, with nine awards at film festivals around the world.

Presented by Samsung and Verizon Wireless, the Surfer Poll Awards have a video section, which the press releases states is "a pivotal year in industry filmmaking with 26 feature-length films in the running".

"The volume of potential nominees in each category was overwhelming this year," says Surfer's Editor-at-Large, Joel Patterson, who is directing his third Surfer Poll this year, but this time it takes place in Hawaii, on the North Shore at the Van's Triple Crown. "The whole Surfer staff spent weeks watching films, debating their merits, and creating a list of nominees. With so many incredible films this year, just making it onto the nominee list is like an award unto itself."

Dim lights

The nominees

(films showing at the Wavescape Surf Film Festival in bold)

Best ManOUEvrE
- Jamie O'Brien (Who is J.O.B.)
- Flynn Novak (High-5)
- Julian Wilson (Scratching the Surface)
- Mitch Coleborn (Modern Collective)
- Jordy Smith (Modern Collective)
- Dion Agius (Modern Collective)
Worst Wipeout
- Aamion Goodwin & Cody Graham (The Arena)
- Dane Reynolds (Scratching the Surface)
- Ian Walsh (Scratching the Surface)
- Julian Wilson (Scratching the Surface)
- Derek Dunfee (Down with the Ship)
Digital Short of the Year
- Dark Side of the Lens by Allan Wilson & Mickey Smith
- Lino by Karim Rejeb
- Innersection: Peter Devries by Jeremy Koreski
- Cypher Vision by Jamie Tierney
- Innersection: Ozzie Wright by Jimmy Kinnard
Best Barrel

- Jamie O'Brien, Backdoor (Who is J.O.B.)
- Jamie O'Brien, Desert Point (Who is J.O.B.)
- Andy Irons, Desert Point (High-5)
- Andy Irons, Costa Rica (High-5)
- Brian Conley (My Eyes Won't Dry IIIHeavy Water
- Jamie O'Brien (Who is J.O.B.)
- Derek Dunfee (Down with the Ship)
- Fergal Smith (High-5)
- Brian Conley (My Eyes Won't Dry III)
Best Performance presented by Skullcandy
- Julian Wilson (Scratching the Surface)
- Jordy Smith (Modern Collective)
- Andy Irons (High-5)
- Dane Reynolds (Seen/Unseen)
- Jamie O'Brien (Who is J.O.B.)
Best Cinematography
- Scratching the Surface
- Idiosyncrasies
- Who Is J.O.B.
- 180 South
- Castles in the Sky
Best Documentary
- Going Vertical
- Stoked & Broke
- Idiosyncrasies
- Sea of Darkness
- God Went Surfing with the Devil
- The Westsiders
Movie of the Year
- Who Is J.O.B.
- Modern Collective
- Sea of Darkness
- Seen/Unseen
- Scratching the Surface

Sea Of Darkness Awards

Best Film 2009 New York Surf Film Festival
Best Documentary 2009 California Surf Festival
Best Documentary 2010 X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival
Best Documentary 2010 Yallingup Surf Film Festival, Austrailia
Grand Jury Award 2010 Byron Bay Film Festival, Australia
Honrable Mention 2010 Taranaki Surf Festival, New Zealand
Audience Choice Award 2010 San Sebastian Surf Festival, Spain
Best Documentary 2010 Alma Surf Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Best Film 2010 Wavescape, Durban, South Africa

WAVESCAPE LINEUP

Sea of Darkness
Fibreglass And Megapixels
Lives of the Artists
Modern Collective
Dark Fall
Scratching the Surface
Who is JOB?
My Eyes Won't Dry 3
Melali: The Drifter Sessions
Somewhere in Tapachula
End of the Line
Surfing Favelas
Last Paradise
Idiosyncrasies
Gum For My Boat