Hana Surf Girls, the coming-of-age surf movie from Santa Barbara’s own Bison Films, will show at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 14, at Isla Vista Theater.
"Hana Surf Girls" made its World Premiere at the 2010 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
This rare screening of a Santa Barbra favorite will benefit the UCSB Surf Team. Team member Lipoa Kahaleuahi, one of the two Hana Maui natives who co-star in the film, will make a personal appearance and answer questions after the film.
Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door.
The evening will include raffles of a Freestyle Watch, gift certificates, and surf gear. Hana Surf Girls premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2010 and has since been seen in film festivals around the world. In October, it was picked by Hawaiian Airlines to play on all of their flights for six months. The other co-star of the film, Monyca Byrne Wickey, is now also staring in the new Nike 6.0 surf film, Leave a Message.
Hana Surf Girls is that rare surf film with a poigant, well-realized story that leaves audiences inspired and emotionally-affected. It was been well-reviewed: The Santa Barbara Independent called it “thought-provoking and gorgeous, not a conventional or even unconventional surf film.” WS Merwin, the US Poet Laureate and a Maui resdient, called it “lovely.” Susan Orlean, who wrote about Hana in the article that became Blue Crush said, “beautiful, carefuly observed, and intimate – an exhilerating film.” Legendary surf filmmaker Jack McCoy said “Hana Girls is one of the most soulful films about the true Hawaiian Spirit of Aloha ever produced. I was moved to tears.”
Director Russ Spencer, who bases his company Bison Films in downtown Santa Barbara, will also be present at the screening.
