#nord nordost surf film fest

[heilewelt]

In Words: Nord Nordost Surf Film Festival, Berlin

So, I have seen many, many surf films in the last week. Countless. Five days of Nord Nordost Surf Film Festival in Berlin and I didn’t miss a single day. I might have missed some films and I might have seen one twice. It all started on a Tuesday evening in an open air cinema, the Potsdamer Platz being the background for the screening “Biarritz Surf Gang”. Lounging around in deckchairs we followed the story of La Grande Bande and how lives can develop that all started in the same place, la grande plage, Biarritz. Some of them would ‘make it’, live the dream, evolve a life around surfing and be well. Others would fall into a life around drugs and crime - it hurt to see talent being wasted that badly. Directors Nathan Curren and Pierre Denoyel didn’t beautify anything. And that makes the film so interesting and actually worth watching more than once. It was also the last film I saw at the surf film festival.

Initially I went to the festival to see beautiful beaches, understand more about surf culture and what it all about and most people portrayed in the movies seemed to be obsessed with finding the next big wave, finding bigger waves, going to places no one has been surfing before or taking photos from a position no one went before. It’s amazing and impressive to see but at the same it’s scary what people are willing to do for one shot or one wave. Like in “One Shot” about surf photographer Russell Ord and his journey to the one photo that defines who he his, about the ups and downs and how he had to learn to hold his breath for over three minutes so he wouldn’t drown and in between there are pictures of his family and I just kept on wondering why risk your life when you have a beautiful family at home. The answer is insatiable thirst for going where no one has ever been before. 

This is also the answer to why people drive through the heaviest snow storm in Iceland as documented in “Under An Arctic Sky”: to find unknown waves in freezing cold water. And with every wave they can catch I felt happy for them, that all the struggle wasn’t for nothing. And the beautiful polar lights they had seen - it must be magical to surf with those above you. That night the movie got a little funny note as well since I saw the screening of “Freezing” beforehand - a little persiflage on the same topic. Two surfers looking for the “one wave” in Iceland during a cold and stormy winter. Jeremy Joyce and Rob Lockyear just reflected the struggles perfectly. Especially after seen “Under An Arctic Sky” it got even more hilarious. 

Of course there is another side to surfing or surfers as well. The ones who don’t care, those who are happy with what they have like Bruce Gold, the last living surf hippie (probably). He is a hobo in Jeffereys Bay, South Africa, dedicated his life to surfing there and bought a tent so he always has a home when he doesn’t have a home in form of a house. During the whole festival not one other surfer looked as relaxed on the board as he did, leaning back, effortless riding the waves. Enjoying just life. What a wonderful example to just do more of what makes you happy. Or as the film “Blue Road” asks in the beginning: What role should passion play in your life? For Bruce it’s everything. For me personally it’s a gentle reminder to reconsider what I do and with what I waste my time with and what i should do more. 

On Wednesday, the second day, International Shorties were shown - at first I couldn’t tell whether we were still watching ads or already the first short film. It was the first film. Most of them were simply stunningly beautiful. One, the winner of the international shorties awards, was more meant to be funny. It wasn’t quite my kind of humor. It was the kind of German humor I just don’t like. But apparently the rest liked it and so it won.

Of course there was music, too. On Friday Jules Ahoi and his deepsea orchestra woke me up again. I always get a little tired when I sit/stand around for hours watching movies whilst starting to freeze a little bit. Luckily Jules Ahoi played music to dance to and sing a long if you know the lyrics. The quieter moments were a bit uncool as the audience was one of the most chattiest in a while. Jules goes into the middle of the room to play some music, just him and his acoustic guitar and it took so long until it got quiet. And that was the tenor for every quiet song and for me it sometimes got it into the way of getting lost in the music. 

On Saturday it wasn’t that bad with the chatty crowd - the bands were louder. Acuario Cósmico played some decent Rock’n’Roll. And Halasan Bazar played the third gig of the festival that night, they played twice acoustic and this one was full band amplified and my favorite. Slightly psychedelic rock note, some Folk influences and some shredding - although that could have been more. They had left one guitarist at home - I wonder how much better it will be with two guitars.

Some things at the festival felt a little messy to me, mainly during the last two days at ZweiDreiRaum due to expected rain, no more openair screening and some changes in the order and/or rooms. Or some “technical issues” like a movie that just didn’t work or showing “Blue Road” without subtitles - totally fine when you speak English, Swiss-German and French but I don’t so two third of the film were a little frustrating. I loved that there were so many Q&A’s with directors and others during the film festival. It would have been even better when they would have used microphones. No chance of understanding most of it when you weren’t in the first few rows. To me it didn’t make much sense. I also felt like the art exhibitions were a little left out. Russell Ord’s photos weren’t shown in the Langbrett store when the film was shown there and the photos from the Binsurfen crew were only shown on Saturday. A little bummer since the festival was sold out on Friday already. But these are just little thing compared to the beauty to festival as a whole. I’ll absolutely go again next year. 

Thank you for reading, 

Dörte

P.S. Bruce Gold

All crappy photos (c) Dörte Heilewelt

[heilewelt]

Go To: Nord Nordost Surf Film Festival Berlin

This year’s summer in Berlin is a tad not so sunny, so it’s even more joyous that Nord Nordost Surf Film Fest will return to bring some sun to town - in form of films, music and art portraying the surf culture. From the 8th-12th of August 2017 they’ll bring screenings to various places spread all over Berlin. This year’s focus is on the conflict between mainstream and wild and ask the question whether if it’s anarchistic heritage and drop out mentality as portrayed on the opening film “Biarritz Surf Gang”*, is still alive. 

For quite some time I have a deep fascination for this culture and I can’t wait to learn more about it. Like I want to understand why people would travel to the arctic circle, Finland or Iceland to surf in the freezing cold (”Freezing”, “Under An Arctic Sky”, “Finnsurf”) - some of the films that’ll make the Berlin summer look great - or following three young women on their journey to answer what surfing means to them and what position it’ll takes in their lifes (”Blue Road”).

Next to films there’ll be live music at every screening, most of them will be surprises. Only two performances are announced: Jules Ahoi & the Deepsea Orchestra and Halasan Bazar. They’ll play at the main events on Friday and Sautrday at Zweidrei Raum. 

Tuesday, 8. August: Opening night “Biarritz Surf Gang” @  Kulturforum Sommerkino, Potsdamer Platz

Wednesday, 9. August: International Shorties Awards and block party @  the été shop, Bergmann Straße (free entrance)

Thursday, 10. August: “Fishpeople” & “One Shot”² @ Langbrett, Kastanienallee (free entrance)

Friday, 11. August:  ”Freezing”³, “Under An Arctic Sky”², “Island Earth”² & “Finnsurf”³; concert: Jules Ahio & the Deepsea Orchestra @ Zweidrei Raum, Kreuzberg

Saturday, 12. August: “The Church of the Open Sky”², “Deep Blue/Middle C” (European premiere), “Biarritz Surf Gang”³ & “Blue Road”²³, concert: Halasan Bazar @ Zweidrei Raum, Kreuzberg

² German premiere ³ directors q&a

Artists for the exhibition will be announced soon. For further informations on tickets and so on, look on their website:  www.surffilmfestberlin.de.

See you there,

Dörte

 *Pretty excited about this one actually since I’ll visit Biarritz later this year and it’s always pretty sweet to learn about the history of a place before you go, especially since it’s the birthplace of surfing in Europe. It always makes you see it in a different light. 

P.S. Just in case you’re not tired of beaches by Sunday, the 13th of August, you can head to Strandbad Weissensee for By The Lake Festival. Good music, beach, water but no waves.