Haven Surf Film Fest returns at the end of May, this time expanding to a two-day event held at two different locations in our hometown of Antwerp.
On Saturday evening, we'll be setting up camp at De Cinema / De Studio, Antwerp's leading independent movie theatre. This new collaboration will focus on surf films with significant cinematographic value, both in film history and today’s new releases. On Sunday, we're returning to Zuiderpershuis with a mix of surf movies, music, art & food!
Discover Saturday's programm
Discover Sunday's programm
Buy Tickets
SATURDAY 25.05 - DE CINEMA at DE STUDIO
17h30 - 23h30
The Road to Patagonia is a stunning, intimate and unflinching series of love letters within a documentary – firstly a love between two people, and secondly between humanity and the Earth.
We follow Matty Hannon on an incredible solo adventure, to surf the west coast of the Americas by motorbike, from the top of Alaska to the tip of Patagonia. But deep in the wilderness - alone with the wolves and the bears - the journeyer’s plans unexpectedly fall to pieces.
After losing everything, and on the cusp of quitting he meets the girl of his dreams, a permaculture farmer named Heather Hillier who throws caution to the wind and sells her urban-farm to buy a bike of her own. Together riding south, the duo meet with Zapatista rebels, Amazonian shamans and Mapuche leaders whose salient words crack the adventurers’ cultural veneer, leaving them with existential questions.
The 50,000km surfing odyssey becomes beautifully complicated by their decision to downshift from motorcycles to horseback, presenting a relational approach to the breathtaking landscapes and a host of challenges that ultimately become extremely rewarding. Hannon and Hillier succeed in beautifully capturing deeply human moments during the world-first expedition, and the noticeable lack of camera-crew becomes The Road to Patagonia’s strength.
The theme of deep ecology underpins the entire film, visually communicated through exquisite cinematography and emotional verité sequences. Shot over 16 years, the result is an adventurous exposé on the more-than-human world, offering a physical and spiritual odyssey to better understand our place in Nature.
Fifty years ago, Albert Falzon premiered what would become one of the greatest surf films of all time: Morning of the Earth. The film first screened on February 25th, 1972 at the Manly Silver Screen Theatre in Sydney, Australia and much to everyone’s surprise became an instant hit at the box office with sold-out shows for months to come. The story was inspiring, visuals stunning, and the editing cutting edge; but, a big contribution to the film’s success was G. Wayne Thomas’ legendary soundtrack (released under Warner Brothers), which became the first Australian soundtrack to sell over a million copies and go Gold. The film’s counter-culture approach and its country-soul soundtrack resonated deeply with Australia’s youth culture and solidified it into Australian history as a national treasure.
Above all, Morning of the Earth was a labor of love for Falzon: “I just wanted to make a beautiful film about surfing, the planet and the ocean.” Falzon frequented the beautiful North Coast of New South Wales with his friends as a getaway from the hustle and bustle of Sydney’s concrete jungle. He would pack his car with camera gear, surfboards and rolls of 16mm film and road trip north to capture the beauty and serenity that those journeys and destinations had to offer. But the film’s locations reached much farther than Australia’s North Coast. Morning of the Earth was the first film to capture surfing in Bali, and its two surfers, Stephen Cooney and Rusty Miller, became the first to ever surf the now world-famous point break, Uluwatu. Falzon also captured the powerful surf of Hawaii’s north shore during the winter of 1970/71, which contributes a presence of energy to the film that is unparalleled in both beauty and power.
The film stars some of the world’s best surfers, including champions Nat Young, Terry Fitzgerald, Michael Peterson, and Gerry Lopez.
Directed by Sam Ostyn, Eva Küpper / featuring Sam Carton
BIG WAVES WILL RISE YOU
After years of suffering due to a late diagnosis of CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), Sam has her right leg amputated. This finally allows her to surf again. But as she tries to make up for her lost time on the water, the disease inexorably flares up again. Sam continues the search for treatment, but this time without letting go of surfing. This movie will be followed by a Q&A with Sam and she will be exhibiting her newest photography work shot in the surf community and a social home for youth with special needs in Busua, Ghana. All proceeds from the sale of her pictures will go towards Asomdwee Fie, the social home project in Ghana.
Directed & featuring Jules Lepecheux
Db presents THE CITY OF AZALEAS (European Premiere)
DB Journey recently returned from a small island in the western Pacific that gave the world bubble tea, and betel nut. It also gave Craig Anderson and Kaito Ohashi some memorable moments. The country boasts untouched coastline; warm turquoise waters and empty point breaks waiting for any surfer wanting to get off the beaten path.
Directed by Matt Payne / featuring Craig Anderson & Kaito Ohashi
12h30 - 19h00
Follow filmmakers Spencer Frost and Guy Williment and surfers Letty Mortenson and Fraser Dovell as they journey to Kamchatka in the far east of Russia in search of new waves along the frozen, unexplored coastline. Bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk with more than 150 volcanoes (29 active) the Kamchatka Peninsula in Far Eastern Russia is as remote as it is unique. After 2 years of planning the trip was almost over before it started. An hour before boarding their flight to Moscow, Russia invaded Ukraine. At a time when the world was seeing the worst of human nature, these guys flew behind the iron curtain and found, to their surprise the best of it. Mi-8 helicopters, skidoos, frozen campsites, and frozen bank accounts, this surf trip quickly became far more than anyone could imagine.
What is it like growing up in the village of Teahupo’o?
Children of Teahupo'o is a tribute to the beauty, perfection and raw power of one of the world’s most scenic wave, and the people’s battle for its preservation.
Lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on the island of Tahiti, lies a village that's home to one of the world's most beautiful waves - Teahupo'o. Facing mystical mountains covered in a wild and luxuriant jungle, the perfect wave of Teahupo'o wraps around the reef to create a powerful tube that attracts the best surfers on the planet.
Photographer Tim Mckenna has been documenting this paradise for over 25 years. From Laird Hamilton's Millennium Wave to WSL competitions, the locals pushing the limits, and the upcoming Olympic Games, he has been a privileged witness to Teahupo’o.
Alongside all the big names in surfing, he has seen the emergence of a generation of local kids who have come to tame this mythical wave. Among them are Tahurai Henry and Gilbert Teave.
Aware of how lucky they are to have grown up in this paradise, they dedicate all their energy and heart to preserving the place and passing on their culture to future generations. They are the guardians of the temple, the heirs of the village. They are the children of Teahupo’o.
Directed by Yentl Touboul / Featuring Erwin Bliss & Hector Menendez
Directed by Sam Moody / Featuring Craig Anderson, Kaito Ohashi
Step into the surreal world of 'Motel Hell': a 45-minute cult classic from Dave Fox and Harry Bryant that's equal parts horror and surf thrill. Haz, lost in a desert dreamscape, stumbles upon a mysterious oasis—a hotel hidden in the dunes. A glass of enigmatic milk becomes his ticket to a whirlwind global adventure, where familiar faces greet him. But is this all a dream or Harry's motel hell? Haz rides mind bending barrels in Ireland, Morocco, Indonesia, and remote Australia, lock yourself into motel hell.
Featuring: Harry Bryant, Wade Goodall, Eithan Osborne, Tom Lowe, Dion Agius, Shaun Manners, Holly Wawn, Craig Anderson, Rolando Montes, David Fields, Benny Wooshka, Edward Melinz, Carcass.
Filmed by: Dave Fox, James Kates, Joao Tudella.
Additional footage: Carlo Coral, Andy Gough, Wade Carol, Ben Bettridge, Dion Agius, Clem Mcinerny, Jack Taylor, Tyge Landa, Jack Bury.
When Torren and Aiyana borrowed the 35ft sailing boat 'Calypte' and departed from the east coast of Thailand in early 2022, they had a combined sailing experience of only a few days. The one requirement of their charter was to eventually deliver the boat to Eastern Indonesia. They could learn as they went, get a few friends with sailing experience to help through the tricky bits and pick up as much as possible from them along the way. With this plan, the pair embarked onto the South China Sea, headed up through the Strait of Malacca and around the tip of Sumatra; out into the Indian Ocean on a year-long expedition in search of waves. What seemed like an idyllic journey didn’t come easy. It was difficult to anticipate the challenges of the sleepless nights, the endless rolling and tossing of the boat, the breakdowns, the relentless maintenance and confined space. But adventures always seem sweeter if it really feels like you had to work to get there.
Directed by Aurélien Bacquet & Guillaume Rouan
BARBES SURFCLUB - A14 - ‘a short film about Surfing in Paris’
The A14 is the fastest freeway to leave Paris and head for the ocean. It’s also one of the most expensive in France. 21km to the beach, cold water and waves.
The idea was to create a film around the Barbès Surf Club project and to make a surfing film without surfing, describing the life of a surfer when you’re stuck over 200 km from the ocean, a feeling many Belgian surfer recognise as well. They created something new that wouldn’t be like all those standardized surf films where you see a succession of air reverse on perfect waves.
Aurélien Bacquet: We’re happy with this project to show our daily life here in Paris and to continue being the most hated surfers in France.
NO LOCALS KOOKS ONLY.
This year, the art segment of the festival is curated by surfer & journalist @veerlehelsen, who recently launched her new book: Surf & Art, a fine selection of the best surf art from around the world by over 30 contemporary artists. Some of the artists will be showcasing their art at the Filmfest on Sunday. Both the artworks as Veerle’s book will be sold at the Filmfest on Sunday and afterwards at the store. Two artists featured in the book, Jessica Soparlo & Fabian Lavater will be joining us on Sunday as well!
Next to those artists we are delighted to present 2 more fantastic creatives. First up is Belgian surfer & photographer Sam Carton, whose documentary is screened on Saturday and she will be showcasing the surf and skate community in Busua, Ghana through her photographs. Llast but not least analog photographs by Izzy Henshel, whose movie Tea Breaks & Tiger Tales will premiere on Sunday.
TICKETS
Combi-Ticket (Saturday & Sunday): 19 euro
Ticket Saturday 25 May
Pre Sale: 10 euro
Tickets: 13 euro
Ticket Sunday 26 May
Pre Sale: 12 euro
Tickets: 16 euro
PRACTICAL INFO
Saturday 25 May - 17h00 > 23h00
De Cinema / De Studio
Maarschalk Gérardstraat 4
2000 Antwerpen
www.destudio.com/en/decinema
Sunday 26 May - 12h30 > 19h00
Zuiderpershuis
Waalsekaai 14
2000 Antwerpen
www.zuiderpershuis.be
Detailed timings will be communicated soon
