Cover shot of Sandy Kerr by Lewis Arnold.
We love a surf film festival. Any space that gives surfers the option to gather and celebrate surf filmmaking and stories is brilliant by us.
The North Sea Surf Film Festival (NSSFF) in Tynemouth, is one of those places. Its inaugural offering kicks off this year, March 26th – 28th and will have an eclectic mix of dazzling surf cinema for anyone to attend.
NSSFF is the brain child of Tom Bing, Sally McGee and Lewis Arnold – three stalwarts of North Sea surfing who have all spent years documenting, surfing and dedicating their time to the cold waters up north.
The North Sea, cold and brilliant. Photo: Arnold.
“We see surf festivals all over the world and communities really get behind them, feeling a sense of pride and recognising them as a way to bring folk together, out of the water, a chance to feel part of something bigger and connect outside of the surf over storytelling and familiar tales of adventures,” said Sally. “The north east can be a hard place in all honestly, the dark winter nights can keep us inside and isolated and I think it’s important to celebrate together what we have through shared experiences. We really hope that this will be just that and plan on putting our hearts and souls into making it a fantastic event for everyone to get involved with.”
“Last Autumn, we were planning a big ‘home break’ Big Sea screening in Tynemouth with Sal hosting a question and answer,” said Lewis. “For various reasons, that didn’t happen, but through the whole process, I’ve been really fortunate to experience a lot of festivals and screenings, some epic, some less so.
“Over the last couple of years, I’ve had pretty much had a crash course in surf film festivals, seeing first-hand what works and what what doesn’t, and all that time, I’ve just been wondering why we don’t have anything going on in our zone? We’ve got the waves, the crew, the culture but nothing to really bring it all together.
“I’m one of the older surfers here and I’ve seen North Sea surfing change a lot, more people surfing, different waves being surfed, surf shops, schools, top surfers coming here, people making surfing their lives. Surfing in the North East has become way more diverse and inclusive and Sal and Tom are two of the people who have opened surfing up in that way.
“Working together, we feel we are in a really good spot to deliver an inclusive, affordable and super interesting festival, in a thriving surf zone. Remember Tynemouth is really, just the coastal suburb of Newcastle, a big, lively old city that has great waves close at hand.”
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Tom adds: “It’s all really exciting stuff. There feels like a groundswell of energy behind it at the moment. The area is cool too, there are places to stay, places to eat, great train links, airport, ferry terminal, it’s all nearby. Good waves and community too.”
One of the elements Tom was keen to bring to the festival was the moments before. The getting there. “On the Thursday night, the opener, the idea is the community night, the one people can get involved with, inspired by the Thrasher ‘King of the Road.’
“We are asking for surfers to form ‘crews’ and for those crews to film a max three minute edit over the winter. It’s our Wave of the Winter but hopefully more accessible to groms, community groups, clubs, women, fringe surfers and everyone else. 100 capacity for this one. One entry is one vote for the best edit.”
As for the films? The Big Sea’s on the docket, and the crew’s calling for submissions. “We are looking for amazing surf films of any genre, any length and from any location so we can put together an inspiring and eclectic programme,” added Lewis. “For me, the main consideration is, will a film resonate in a real way with the North Sea surf community?
“Together, we all believe this new festival can work grow and be sustainable at the heart of North Sea surfing, with the right ethos, planning and hard work.”
For more information head to the website, HERE, and we’ll drop updates bout the NSSFF as soon as they come in.
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