Surfing. It' a sport we readily associate with America, Australia, and just occasionally Fistral beach in newquay (mis-spent youth alert). But Ireland? You'd better believe it.
Directed by Joel Conroy (Eye Of The Storm), narrated by actor Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later; The Wind That Shakes The Barley) and featuring a raft of renowned Irish, British and American surfers, including Richard Fitzgerald, Gabe Davies, The Malloys (Dan, Keith and Chris), Kevin Naughton, Drew Kampion, Arthur Verge and nine-time Association of Surfing Professionals World Champion, Kelly Slater, Waveriders travels from Hawaii via California to Ireland to tell the epic story of the unlikely Irish roots of the global surfing phenomenon and today's leading exponents of big wave surfing.
This remarkable story unfolds through the inspirational and ultimately tragic history of legendary Irish-Hawaiian lifeguarding pioneer, George Freeth, the man credited as being the "Father of Modern Surfing", who was responsible for the rebirth of the Hawaiian Sport of Kings in the early twentieth century and for introducing surfing to the sunny shores of California. Acknowledging Freeth's legacy, the film returns from Hawaii and the California coast to the icy waters of the Irish Atlantic, where some of the world's greatest surfers battle to conquer the biggest swell ever to have been ridden off the Irish coast – a set of enormous, bone-crushing sixty-foot waves. The spectacular climax of this unique and visually stunning documentary features some of the most breathtaking surfing footage ever captured on film and ranks alongside the classics of the surf movie genre.
Hailed as "remarkable" by Empire Magazine and described by Total Film as "gripping... awesome", Waveriders is not only a must-see both for surfers and other extreme sports enthusiasts, but it is also a film that will appeal to anyone with an interest in well crafted documentary features. The film's awesome imagery is further complemented by an amazing musical soundtrack featuring the likes of U2, The Undertones, John Martyn, Rory Gallagher and HAL.
Waveriders will be released on U DVD by Element Pictures Distribution on 7th September 2009 at the RRP of £15.99. Special Features include:
- Interviews;
- Wipeouts;
- Photo gallery;
- Trailer.
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