Wavescape Hits Durban

KISS OF GOD: The tragic tale of Andy Iron's life and death will premiere in Durban. Photo supplied

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The Wavescape Surf and Ocean Festival presented by VANS has announced an epic lineup of 19 films at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) from 21 to 26 July, with the additional debut of Slide Night, featuring eight 10 minute talks by ocean thought leaders on topics that include science, sustainability, adventure and activism.

In keeping with an increasingly urgent mandate to conserve our oceans and our planet, Slide Night is bound to challenge and inspire, coming off its annual success at the Cape Town iteration of the festival. Slide Night will be hosted by PETCO and Wavescape at the South African Association of Marine Research (SAAMBR) at uShaka Marine World on Thursday 25 July.

Well known ocean advocate, free diver and Durban surfer Olivia Symcox will MC the evening, with talks ranging from how to recycle your trash to a Sea Shepherd skipper speaking about the activist group's work in South Africa. Refreshments and drinks are free, courtesy PETCO. Book for Slide Night here: https://qkt.io/zDffKq

SHIVER ME TIMBERS! Look what's heading your way: White Rhino, a film about ... er ... small waves.

Wavescape also announced several blockbuster documentaries for DIFF, including Trouble: The Lisa Andersen Story and Andy Irons: Kissed by God, which are screening at Musgave Ster Kinekor on Thursday and Friday 25 and 26 July respectively.

Wavescape will launch at the Bay of Plenty on Sunday 21 July at 7pm, with two beautifully shot shorts - Stephanie Gilmore and Water II - followed by the VANS Mikey February classic Can't Steal Our Vibe, and the award-winning Cape Town big wave movie Satori.

The festival moves on to two days of free screenings at uShaka Marine World and three nights at Musgrave Ster Kinekor. Several African premieres will be screened, including How to Learn How to Surf, a hilarious spoof of surf culture fresh off its world premiere in the US. Thank You Mother is shot in South Africa and Australia, and narrated by Australian filmmaker Albert Falzon, who made the seminal 1970 surf film Morning of the Earth.

BAY OF PLENTY: This year's outdoor screening takes place on Sunday 21 July. See you there!

What is a surf film festival without huge waves? Wavescape will present the African premiere of White Rhino, featuring gigantic waves in Hawaii, Tahiti, and Fiji. Nordurland, the other premiere, is shot in the Arctic Circle, and will no doubt have Durban surfers running for their wetsuits, which they do when water temperatures drop below 28 degrees Celsius.

Other films include the ode to the ocean, Emocean, filmed in Australia, California and Hawaii and featuring conservationist Sacha Guggenheimer, Pipeline surfing legend Jamie O’Brien, big wave pioneer Jeff Clark, iconic surf filmmaker Paul Witzig, and Hawaiian photographer Brent Bielmann.

GENERATIONS: Follows a group of women and how they pass life lessons on to their daughters.

Transcending Waves - directed by the Gauchos del Mar brothers Julian and Joaquin Azulay, who will be in attendance at Musgrave on Wednesday 24 July - features a sweeping epic shot in the Falkland Islands, where they try to use surfing to help heal the scars created by the 1982 War between Britain and Argentina.

Andy Irons: Kissed by God is the untold and tragic story of Andy Irons, who died after a painful life battling with bipolar disorder and opioid addiction.

SCHEDULE

Films, Bay of Plenty lawns, 7pm, Sun 21 July
Films, Arena 5, Village Walk, uShaka Marine, 6.30pm, Mon 22-Tue 23 July
Films, Ster-Kinekor, Musgrave Mall, 6.30pm, Wed 24-Fri 26 July
Slide Night, SAAMBR Conference Centre, uShaka Marine, 7pm, Thu 25 July

MORE INFO

www.wavescapefestival.com
Twitter @WavescapeSA
Instagram @WavescapeSA
www.facebook.com/wavescapefestival
#WavescapeFestival
#WavescapeDIFF

SLIDE NIGHT SPEAKERS

• Janine Osborne, Stakeholder Relations Manager at PETCO
• Sihle Xaba, former pro bodyboarder, lead actor in film Ortelo Burning and pro lifeguard
• Andre Rutishauser, eco-warrier, Sea Shepherd skipper and founder of Conscious Cafe
• Faine Loubser, GoPro Ambassador, underwater photographer and filmmaker for Sea Change Project
• Mark Addison, founder of Blue Wilderness Shark Diving company near Aliwal Shoal
• Sarah Ferguson, endurance swimmer, ocean activist and world record holder
• Judy Mann-Lang, conservation strategist at SAAMBR

SLIDE NIGHT BOOKINGS: https://qkt.io/zDffKq

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