Tynemouth surfers swell with success
Apr 16 2009 by Paul Loraine, The Journal
The film pieces together archive footage telling the story of George Freeth with modern-day surfers including Gabe and nine-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater.
It opened in Ireland and some UK cinemas on April 3, opening 10th in the Irish box office and moving up to 5th by the end of the week.
In addition to a positive response from critics, it has been crowned at a number of awards ceremonies including last year’s Dublin International Film Festival and the Beloit Film Festival in America.
“We didn’t just want it to be a film for surfers – we wanted it to appeal to everyone.
“It’s a great story and that combined with the footage we managed to get makes it very dramatic.
“If you’ve got an interest in the sea or in the outdoors more generally then it’s a nice story and you will enjoy it.”
The film is narrated by Irish actor and star of the Danny Boyle film 28 Days Later, Cillian Murphy.
Gabe’s wife Lauren, 35, was said she wrote the first treatment for the director, Joel Conroy, seven years ago.
“Basically the process involved a lot of research then pulling together all the facts into a story people could enjoy.
“There are also quotes from Yeats and Wilde in there as well as a poetic voice-over, which I wrote with Cillian Murphy’s voice in mind, so to have him doing it was amazing.
“I’m really pleased with how it turned out and it’s had such a great response. Writing can be quite a solitary experience so to be involved with all these people has been fantastic.
“To have it shown in the North East will be great for me and Gabe and for the Odeon to support it in this way is fantastic.”
The screenings are tomorrow and Saturday at 9.25pm, on Sunday at 11am and Monday at 8.30pm.
