Yes, the internet brings us all sorts of incredible surfing clips but we felt it would be nice to get together again at an inspiring location and screen some of the finest surf movies of the moment. Movies that have a story to tell and go beyond a couple of air sections.
With the kind support of Vans Surf we are presenting the first edition of the Haven Surf Film Fest. An afternoon at Zuiderpershuis, one of Antwerp’s most iconic cultural venues, with movies, music, food, drinks and expositions from local (surf) photographers, shapers & designers.
On the menu we have the Benelux premiere of "Girls Can’t Surf" (directed by Christoffer Nelius) and "Keep It A Secret" (directed by Sean Duggan). Two feature documentaries with an important story that needs to be told. Have a look at the trailers to get an idea. On top of that we will show Vans’ “Sonic Souvenirs” & "Cadavre Exquis" on the big screen.
ART EXPOS
A fine selection of art, photography & surfboards from some of the key artists / shapers of our Benelux scene.
- Jop Hermans - photography - NL
- Studio Koevoet - design/art - B
- Wouter Struyf - photography - B
- Brainfloss - shaper - B
Line-up
14u00 : SONIC SOUVENIERS V.2 — In the second installment of this exploration, Sonic Souvenirs: Cotê d’Ivoire, Mikey is joined by Vans’ LeeAnn Curren and Alex Knost along the Ivory Coast of Africa. Through their travels, they are embedded in the origins of many regions’ cultures, spotlighting a variety of musical styles, instruments, dance, and deep-rooted traditions around creative expression. Nestled in smaller, niche communities, like the Hibiscus Coast, each region has its own ideas and interpretation of surfing, independent of existing perceptions or definitions.
15u00 : GIRLS CAN'T SURF — The untold story of how a band of renegade surfer girls in the 1980s fought to create their own professional sport, changing surf culture forever. It's the 1980s and the world of professional surfing is a circus of fluro colours, peroxide hair and radical male egos. Girls Can't Surf follows the journey of a band of renegade surfers who took on the male-dominated professional surfing world to achieve equality and change the sport forever. Featuring surfing greats Jodie Cooper, Frieda Zamba, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen, Pam Burridge, Wendy Botha, Layne Beachley and more, Girls Can't Surf is a wild ride of clashing personalities, sexism, adventure and heartbreak, with each woman fighting against the odds to make their dreams of competing a reality.
17u30 : CADAVRE EXQUIS — Exquisite Corpse, from the original French term "Cadavre Exquis" is a method in which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled. Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, being allowed to see only the end of what the previous person contributed. During 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic, while most of us were in lockdown, we felt the urge to come together somehow. This film was made by women of the Vans Surf team & friends in an attempt to reach across the seas, and create a piece that deeply connected us. Featuring surfing and art by: Margaux Arramont-Tucoo, Ainara Aymat, Lee-Ann Curren, Leila Hurst, Lola Mignot, Pua Desoto, Karina Rozunko, Bella Kenworthy, Hanna Scott, Holly Wawn & Chelsea Woody. Original soundtrack featuring Lee-Ann Curren, Hanna Scott, AYO, Glenn Michael Van Dyke and Lena Simon of Kairos Creature Club, Chloé Thévenin, Maia Ibar, Thee Leatherettes, Big Joanie, Clovis Donizetti, Cécile Mestelan and more...
18u45 : KEEP IT A SECRET — The inspiring true story of the dawn of Irish surfing and how the sport's brave pioneers found peace and escape in the water during the most violent years of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. In 1972, every international sporting event in Ireland was cancelled, except for one. Teams from around the world refused to travel to Ireland amid the height of The Troubles. The only group of athletes bold enough to risk traveling in Ireland at this turbulent time were surfers. Surfers from around the globe descended upon the coastal village of Lahinch for the 1972 Eurosurf Championship, the largest surfing event in all of Europe and the competition that would put Irish surfing on the map. Here surfers from both sides of the divided island would forget about the civil strife and celebrate their shared love of the sport by riding Ireland’s majestic waves. Even surfers from England would defy their government’s intense pressure to boycott the event. For these surfers, there were no borders, only the endless freedom of the ocean.