14 years later, “Rebor” is now the director of the San Sebastian Film Festival, and 5 years ago we partnered again to create this time a section within the festival, Savage Cinema the section where high end cinema world meets outdoor sports. And it is with great honor we present this year´s fantastic surfing related program, in the pioneering section dedicated to action sports in an A class film festival.

Bunker77, the Project directed by Takuji Masuda is going to see its World Premiere in San Sebastian!! Quite a few Mundaka regulars will know who Takuji is, making a once and a while show up on big days with his longboard, waiting patiently for the biggest sets. Watch Takuji at Pipeline.

It is a honor to host this very special premiere, Takuji being at the helm, but which will see Craig Stecyk in town, same as Art Brewer, who was part of the seminal “Blue Velvet” exhibition with a Bunker Spreckels photo, a show curated by Jamie Brisick in 2004 for the second Edition of the festival. Jamie will be in town, we´ll have time to catch up, drink some good Rioja red wine, and talk about his Westerly documentary which is in its completion stages…

Orange Sunshine is the fascinating story of “The Brotherhood of Eternal Love”, the surfing crew from Laguna Beach who wanted to change the neoliberal and alienated, polluted World via the use of LSD. They sintethized a fantastic formula, and they became the biggest producers, distributers of LSD and cannabis in the World. Its Amazing to be able to do the International premiere of this unknown story, a time capsule, and what can be a cautionnary tale to understand the risks of the abuse of hard drugs. We will have with us its director, and 2 founding members of the movement.

Let´s Be Frank is the first long format by Peter Hamblin who did the very interesting The Ripple Effect. In this very unconvetional, ambitious and spot on film, he misteriously presents Frank Solomon. Both will be in town for the show.

And Surfers Blood is another really important title for us. Directed by Patrick Trefz, it connects people, their stories and places, in a trip which starts in Euskadi / Basque Country, to show the World the fantastic story of Patxi Oliden, the autodidact shaper from Orio, who wanted to democratize surfing making cheap boards for the kids in town, in a momento surfing was starting in our coastlines. He created Itxastresna, the first surfboard factory in Spain at the beginning of the 70´s. Today at 92, he is getting ready to come to the premiere. It will be an emotional moment.

Enrique Laborde was the first who told me about, and took me to visit his Workshops. The ensuing exhibition for Surfilmfestibal 3 in 2005, with photos from Willy Uribe and boards from the Enrique Artero Collection, visit with Patrick… Iñigo Gaiton, local from Orio, a thoughful person, has had a very important role in the production of the film. He also directed Erreplika in 2015, connecting young shaper Mikel Agote with Patxi.

Kepa Acero is the second person from our basque coast featured. His style of story telling has changed the way surf journalism is done in social media. He has become the only “know” surfer from here (besides Aritz Aranburu) in other continents. Patrick has been able to tell his very interesting back ground, youth in Bilbao, the transformation of the city, etc… with lots of feeling, finding Amazing footage from the punk radical basque music movement from the Salda Badago documentary from our friendo Iker Treviño.

And from Euskadi to California, Kenvin, Meierhoffer, and an emotional end with Flea and Barney´s story, Patrick´s sould brother, who died unexpectadly last year…. We were lucky to host Patrick and Barney in an Amazing visit in 2009 was it?

It has been a pretty fantastic trip, 14 years of festival has connected us with many talented people, making great friendships, trust relationships that help us yet another time work on the launch of really the greatest, deepest, relevant Films in the genre, partnering with directors, friends, to reach new publics, bigger audiences, trying this way to contribute in the development of artistic careers.

TICKET SALE FOR SAVAGE CINEMA FILMS

Photo. Barney