Don't Forget to Share the Stoke this Weekend at The 'Con


Ready for Launch


Goin' DEEP...

Mother Nature appears to be cooperating with the organizers of the "Sharing the Stoke" Event, with a decent-sized swell and clean conditions forecast for Saturday.  Weather may be a factor for Sunday, but I don't want to jinx it by showing much concern over it at this point.  I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone at Rincon this weekend.  I should be there shooting, so please stop by and introduce yourself if you happen to see me there...

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All For a Few Perfect Waves...

Who Was Dora?

"Miki took to his grave many stories that no one will ever know, but this book will also tell many and give new insight into his life. In the end only a select group knew the real person. I’m not sure I did-but almost.”  
-- Kelly Slater, best-known surfer in the world.

"For fifty years, surfing in Southern California has been shrouded in a myth wrapped in an enigma by the name of Miki Dora. Now, we have the facts. A magnificent book."
-- Kevin Starr, California Librarian Emeritus and Professor at USC


"In times like these it turns out not only is there an oral history of Miki Dora, there must be. Great reportage."
-- Stephen Gaghan, surfer, screenwriter/director
(Traffic, Syriana)


"The most renegade spirit the sport has yet to produce."
-- New York Times

Watch a video of Miki Dora here:  Miki Dora Vid

Click on the picture to learn more about the new book.

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Bra Boys

BRA BOYS is a documentary film narrated by Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe about the real-life brotherhood, murder and family loyalties of  Australia’s warring gangs --- the surfing “Bra Boys” of Maroubra, a beach side suburb of Sydney.  These are not the laid-back, “Hey, dude,” seaside slackers of Southern California legend. 
 
Written, directed and produced by Sunny Abberton, himself a childhood resident of Maroubra’s public housing projects, BRA BOYS traces the cultural evolution of the much maligned --- and tattooed --- youthful surfing community, and in particular the Abberton brothers:  Sunny, Koby, Jai and Dakota, one charged with murdering a Sydney “standover man” (Australian slang for an extortionist who uses physical violence, or threats, to extract payment on behalf of another), another pursuing a professional surf career but charged as an accessory in his brother’s murder trial, another trying to hold the family together, and the youngest brother --- whose sole inheritance is his siblings’ national notoriety.
 
BRA BOYS is the first full-length film project undertaken by, and officially sanctioned by, Bra Boys themselves.  The film shows their success in professional big wave surfing, their international reputation for hard partying and rough justice.  They have a running battle with authorities and rely absolutely and solely on one another in order to fit into a society in which they are otherwise displaced and, often, disinterested.  The film explores the historical stigma associated with Australia’s rebellious surf community, as exemplified by the residents of Maroubra and their social displacement. 
 
Using archival shots, blended with new footage and interviews, BRA BOYS presents a dynamic portrait of the current “surf vision,” a story that is at once compassionate, compelling and confrontational: fights for against-the-odds success, predictable failures.  Yet, ultimately, the film’s narrative illustrates how even amidst the burdens of a stigmatized legacy, a new generation can hope for better. 
 
BRA BOYS opens Friday, April 11th in New York City at The Quad Theatre, 34 West 13th Street, and Long Island.  (Simultaneoulsy, the film will be opening on 15 screens in Los Angeles and Southern California, as well as six screens in Hawaii.)

http://www.braboysfilm.com
http://www.myspace.com/braboysfilm

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ARCHY COMES TO LIFE


A documentary film on surf icon Matt Archbold’s life is set to be told this coming spring throughout theaters across America...


LOS ANGELES, CA – March 4th 2008:

Billygoat Productions in conjunction with sponsors, RVCA, Surfer Magazine, Santa Cruz Surfboards and Hoven in association with Studio411 is proud to present Archy – a documentary film on Matt “Archy” Archbold.

Directed by Bill Ballard (The Mystic, Blue Crush), Archy chronicles one of the most fascinating and talented surf icons throughout his career as top-amateur, dynamic and innovative pro, troubled athlete, and most of all a survivor.

Since exploding onto the surf scene at 14 years old, Archy’s surfing and style have influenced more than three generations of surfers.

A variety of professional surfers, musicians, actors and noted industry leaders lend their voices and experiences to the chapters of Archy’s story including the likes of Martin Potter, Chris Mauro, Art Brewer, Bruce Irons, Christian Fletcher, Dino Andino, Moses Paskowitz, Sunny Garcia, Herbie Fletcher and Garth Tarlow.

The film is narrated by rock legend, Henry Rollins.

The world premier for Archy is scheduled for Thursday 10th April in Newport Beach, CA. at the Lido Theater with a national tour, hosted by Director Bill Ballard, set to follow starting in Hermosa Beach on Friday 18th April.

The film will be available in both domestic and international surf shops from Tuesday 17th June onwards.