Fifth Annual Women’s Surf Film Festival To Highlight Surfers From The US, Australia, New Zealand, Maldives, And More

Shark Week is over and now it’s time to celebrate the New York Women’s Surf Film Festival, presented by Lava Girl Surf and LUNA. The festival, which first launched in 2012 at The Rockaway Beach Surf Club in New York City and focuses on bringing together the global surf community for a special night focused on women in surfing and filmmaking, is expanding to include a screening in Montauk this year. This year’s film festival will unveil featured short and mid-length films that take an in-depth look at the courage, independence, challenges, skill, and environmental conservation efforts of female surfers.

Lava Girl Surf was the first of its kind to offer a New York women’s surf workshop. To complement that workshop and celebrate women in surfing, filmmaking, and grassroots environmentalism, Lava Girl Surf launched the NY Women’ Surf Film Festival in Rockaway Beach in 2012. For the second year in a row, the festival will be presented in conjunction with LUNA, a nutritional bar for women.

“I’m excited to bring the creative inspiration and culture of this year’s selection of women’s surf films to Montauk, in an effort to expand the reach of our featured filmmakers and fearless female surfers beyond NYC,” said Lava Girl Surf’s co-founder Davina Grincevicius, a surfer and director herself. “The collection of films we’re screening bring a big dose of honesty and reality to the sport – something all Montauk surfers and beach goers are sure to love. We’re also excited to have LUNA as a primary presenting sponsor again this year, showing their continued support for the female surf community.”

Alison’s Adventures Maldives by Alison Teal, which explores how to transform plastic waste into something functional using comedy and inspiration. (Courtesy Photo)

This highly anticipated festival will feature diverse styles of storytelling from established and emerging directors, producers, and filmmakers from the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Tahiti, and the Maldives. The films will highlight the inspiring lives of women surfers, their unique journeys and passions, and their connections to the ocean. There is a continued expansion of the global surf community, making this festival even more relevant. There are also enormous accomplishments of female big wave surfers in recent time, which mark this festival as a pivotal moment in the history of women’s surfing.

“LUNA is honored to be part of this year’s New York Women’s Surf Film Festival, which exemplifies our mission to support women in their drive for sport and adventure,” said Will Yandell, Regional Marketing Manager at LUNA. “Davina and the film festival team have broken countless barriers to develop this festival and make it a success. We’re very excited to see it grow and expand this year to include the Hamptons surf community.”

A few of the films that will be featured at this year’s festival include Blue Road by Alenda Ehrenold, which showcases how the pull of the ocean can impact life choices away from the surf, A Woman’s Guide to Surfing New Zealand by Apolla Echino, that captures the thrills and chills faced during wintertime surf sessions, and Alison’s Adventures Maldives by Alison Teal, which explores how to transform plastic waste into something functional using comedy and inspiration.

“Smile and Wave” (Courtesy Photo)

The inaugural Hamptons NY Women’s Surf Film Festival screening will be held on Saturday, August 12 from 7 to 11 p.m. at The Montauk Beach House. Doors will open at 7 p.m. where guests are invited to grab a drink, food, and a seat. There will be an opening reception from 8 to 8:30 p.m. with introductions by Davina Grincevincius, festival founder, and featured filmmaker, Appola Echino. The film screenings will commence at 8 p.m. and last until 10:45 p.m.

Featured films will include Cold Lines by Claudia Lederer, Longboarding Incon Belinda Baggs Might be the Perfect Surf Mom by The Inertia, Sea Lone by Luca Merli, Pear Shaped by Lauren Hill, The Legend of Iron Sea Horse by Casey Acaster, Evan Adamson, and Alex Haro, Sliding into the Light by Crystal Thornburg-Homcy and Simon Beins, and A Woman’s Guide to Surfing New Zealand by Apolla Echino. At 9:30 p.m. there will be an intermission and raffle draw. At 10 p.m. there will be more film screenings to finish off the evening, including Alison’s Adventures Maldives by Teal and Mark Tipple and Blue Road by Alena Ehrenbold.

The raffle will benefit the East End Foundation, who helps local families encountering financial hardships due to debilitating illnesses or other tragic accidents. Raffle items will include beach-friendly items such as a surfboards, swimwear and sunscreen from global and local surf brands including: Natures Shapes Surfboards, FIN, Air + Speed Montauk, Mamazoo, Tuulikki NYC, El Sorell, Bona Fide Wetsuits, Novel, Kopari, and Manda. And don’t miss The Don Julio vintage pickup truck for great photo opportunities.

The Montauk Beach House is located at 55 South Elmwood Avenue in Montauk. For more information about the Montauk screening, visit thembh.com. For more information about the festival, visit womenssurffilmfestival.com.