The festival will get underway in Napier. Photo / Supplied
The festival will get underway in Napier. Photo / Supplied
A surf film festival touring New Zealand will hold its opening night in Napier - giving locals the first peek at films up for awards.
The 10th annual Aotearoa Surf Film Festival is being staged over the coming weeks with stops around the country, starting in Napier on Wednesday andfinishing in Auckland with an awards night.
"We are starting it in Napier and we have not been to town in a couple of years so it's exciting," tour manager Louis Murphy-Harris said.
The Napier event is being held at The Cabana with films starting at 7pm and doors opening at 6.30pm on Wednesday.
Murphy-Harris said film-makers submitted films from November to January and the best ones were chosen for the festival.
Jonathan Smit is a former winner at the Aotearoa Surf Film Festival. Photo / Supplied
About seven short films and one feature-length film - making a total of about two and a half hours of footage - will be shown during the show.
There are no Hawke's Bay films in the running this year. The top prizes announced at the end of the tour include a $6000 camera package from Canon and a $2000 cash prize for Best NZ Film-maker Award and Best Grassroots Film.
"Over the 10 years, it has helped kick start careers for surf film-makers. It is a niche sort of thing and is the only festival dedicated to surf cinematography in New Zealand," he said.
"It is embodying all the culture [of surfing], not just the art of wave riding but also the culture that surrounds it as well."
About 90 people can attend the show with vaccine passes in Napier and as of Tuesday afternoon there were about 30 tickets still available for the opening night.
Tickets are through asff.co.nz or at the door if there are any left.
