Raglan is known as one of Aotearoa’s homes of surfing, so it felt only right that the 14th Aotearoa Surf Film Festival (ASFF) kicked off its nationwide tour right here on the West Coast.
Now in its 14th year, the festival has grown into New Zealand’s premier touring surf film event. Founded in 2013 by filmmaker Nick Stevenson, and now directed by Louis Murphy-Harris, ASFF travels the length of the country over 12 weeks, bringing a curated selection of international and Kiwi surf films to 26 coastal communities and more than 5,000 audience members.
A Raglan Kick-Off
This year, Raglan had the honour of hosting the opening nights. Tour manager Max Came says the decision to start in Raglan “just made sense.”
“It’s been amazing,” he says. “The community here is incredible, so tight-knit. Before the show, everyone was chatting. The chatter was even drowning out the music. Everyone was in jandals, barefoot, just relaxed. You definitely don’t get that everywhere in the country.”
Due to high demand, a second screening was added. Both nights shared the same programme but as Max points out, “each time it’s fresh. It’s a new audience.”
For someone delivering his first tour as manager, Raglan set the bar high. “The level of surfing here is really high,” he says. “And the level of passion shown by everyone involved in the surf community is really cool.”
For Vanessa Mateja, whose family owns Solscape, hosting the festival has become a late-summer ritual. “For the past six or seven years that we’ve hosted, there’s always good swell and the weather is always nice,” she laughs.
But more than the conditions, it’s the community aspect she values most. “One of the things I love about hosting the Surf Film Festival here is that it’s such a great way for the community to come together. It’s a big community event, and it’s so nice to see everyone.”
With its outdoor setting, and ocean views, Solscape aligns seamlessly with the festival’s ethos. “You’re looking out to the ocean, you see the waves rolling in,” Vanessa says. “It’s outside, surrounded by nature. It’s just a lovely setting.”
Max agrees. “It feels relaxed and good-natured here. It completely aligns with the values of the festival, being environmentally conscious, aware of our surroundings, and centred around community.”
From Core Surf to Deep Storytelling
This year’s official selection includes four Kiwi films and five international features, chosen from more than 50 submissions. A panel of judges, including surf industry personalities Craig ‘CPL’ Levers, Gavin Bisman, Christy Prior and Amber Jones, assessed entries based on cinematography, storytelling, surfing performance, innovation, environmental messaging, diversity and soundtrack. “It sounds like this year was the hardest selection they’ve ever had,” Max says. “The level of filmmaking just keeps getting better.”
The programme strikes a deliberate balance between raw, high-performance surf edits and deeper, story-driven documentaries. “We have the classic surf films that are all about surfers doing crazy stunts. And then we have the ones with deeper storytelling,” Max says. “But it’s nice to find the balance. Hopefully the people who are there for the storytelling can appreciate the core surfing, and vice versa.”
One standout for many was the film Wahine Waveriders, a Riverton-based story following three generations of female surfers united by their love of the ocean. Vanessa calls it her favourite, too. “It was a beautiful glimpse into a small South Island town,” she says. “And it was inspiring to see one of the women’s journey after suffering a stroke, feeling called to help other women through surfing.”
The last film of the evening Haus Tambuna took audiences to Papua New Guinea, exploring traditional wave-riding practices and the ceremonial harvesting of trees to craft balsa surfboards. The film wove together indigenous knowledge, sustainability and surf culture while contrasting ancient practices with the modern global surf industry.
The film screening ended with a big round of applause. For a town where surfing is woven into everyday life, Raglan has firmly cemented its place as the perfect starting point for Aotearoa’s biggest celebration of surf storytelling. As Vanessa puts it: “We look forward to hosting it again next year. It’s always fun.”
by Annika Stricker
