Every year in March as the New Zealand summer fades and the storm season approaches, the O’Neill Aotearoa Surf Film Festival has become an annual celebration of surf culture. In order to keep surfers happy across our small coastal communities, we are pleased to announce the launch of the fourth annual Aotearoa Surf Film Festival for 2016 with an open call for film submissions to New Zealand and global surf filmmakers.
The fourth annual ASFF event will commence on February 25th at Totara Street, Mount Maunganui and run through March 2016. In true kiwi style, ASFF takes a curated selection of international surf feature films, documentaries and short films on a summer roadtrip to coastal towns celebrating the best of surf culture, surf cinema and our connection with the environment. Tickets are now available online directly at www.asff.co.nz plus limited door sales on each night. All programming details for each town are provided online.
“Its hard to believe that ASFF is now coming into its fourth year.” Says festival director Nick Stevenson. “Each year the film submissions have got better and better, both in quality of filming and surfing. The screening panel always has a really difficult time cutting the films down to make the festival programming, taking only the very best films. Over the years we have seen some incredible and unexpected stories featured and of course plenty of exceptional surfing. Films that surprise and showcase diversity in our sport is what has been a key driver for the continued audience and filmmaker support that ASFF receives each year”.
For ASFF 2016 the festival team changed up the film competition with an invitation to key surf filmmakers for feature films, and the main festival competition being an open call for short films from global and kiwi surf filmmakers. Invitation feature films include:
Faroes The Outpost Vol 2 (USA) – Ben Weiland
Bear Island (Norway) – Inge Wegge
The Fisherman’s Son (USA/Chile) – Chris Malloy
No Regrets (South Africa) – Jason Hearn
“Each year we like to innovate and add in new elements to the festival. By making the film competition short film only for this year, it creates an even playing field for both amateur and professional surf filmmakers to see what can be achieved in the short format”. Says festival director Nick Stevenson. The ASFF short film competition has a $5,000 prize pool for filmmakers. A new category has also been established to assist local filmmakers with the best New Zealand made film taking away $1,000 cash and a Panasonic GH4 camera kit presented by Panasonic. Film submissions are still open for the short film competition. We encourage surf filmmakers from around the world to enter the festival competition. Submissions close tomorrow Friday, February 5th, 2016. So get your film in now!
Please visit www.asff.co.nz/submissions for all entry details. All submitted films will be judging by the festival screening panel of Craig Levers, Gavin Bisman, and Richard Hodder. Award winning films will be announced at the closing of the festival event in Auckland.
In the mean time check out the ASFF and pages to keep up to date on all festival announcements.
Festival Launch Event: Mount Maunganui – February 25th – Totara Street
Kicks off at 6:30pm with 2 sessions of surf cinema. Event details over at the event page by .
