Turning a Lens on Surf Culture
Documentary film "Under the Sun," explores the commercialization of surfing subcultures in Australia's Byron Bay and the Gold Coast, and will screen at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, at Laguna Beach's South Coast Cinema.
The film won best action sports film at the Newport Beach Film Festival and best indie film at the Huntington Beach Surf Film Festival.
The documentary, made by filmmaker Cyrus Sutton and produced with a Ubiquity Records' soundtrack, will be distributed in theaters in Australia and on DVD in the U.S., Japan and Europe, said the 25-year-old filmmaker, who lives in Encinitas.
While the film captures two locations that are geographically close, the documentary depicts differences within the surf towns' culture and explores the opposing influences. The film provides a window into the issues debated within the surf industry, such as rising populations and dwindling resources, tourist-drawing imagery and coastlines overrun and polluted. The film explores questions such as whether the surf industry and its culture can become sustainable?
Photos courtesy of Cyrus Sutton Film director Cyrus Sutton spent two years shooting Australia's surf culture. His film screens Sept. 11 at South Coast Cinema. "For years the surfing subculture has blazed a rebellious trail with the industry following close behind, turning scenes and ideas into dollars signs. With swelling crowds and deteriorating water quality, surfing is reaching critical mass," explained film maker Sutton, whose film is made with financial support by West Coast Record and clothing label Ubiquity Records.
Sutton, son of Laguna Beach resident Budd Sutton, got his start in filmmaking on the other side of lens as a professional surfer. In 2006, though, Sutton won an Emmy Award for his work as writer and director of photography on "Next Wave: A Tsunami Relief Story" where he traveled to the northern tip of Sumatra to give aid to tsunami victims and document the efforts of the non-profit organization Surf Aid.
His first film, "Riding Waves," won best cinematography at the X-Dance Film Festival and best film at the Big Island Surf Film Festival.
He has worked for film producers Greg MacGillivaray and Ira Opper. He is currently co-directing a Yosemite Valley rock climbing documentary and touring his new film.
"Under the Sun" was finished in April 2008 after two years of travel, shooting and editing by the filmmaker to capture his love for the ocean, but also his increasing concern about coastal pollution and overcrowding. Along the way, twice his 16 mm camera equipment was stolen.
"I hope that this film can at least serve as a time capsule for Australia's beautiful east coast and at best serve as a catalyst for a consciousness shift within the surfing tribe," Sutton said in a statement.
Following the screening, Thalia Street Surf Shop and the Surf Gallery, 911 S. Coast Highway, will host an after party featuring a live performance by the Tijuana Panthers and an exhibition of Sutton's photos.
