WADE IN THE WATER:
A JOURNEY INTO BLACK SURFING AND AQUATIC CULTURE
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Directed by David Mesfin
USA | 2022 | Documentary | 90 mins
G | Thurs 12 Jan 2023 | 8:00pm
Wade in the Water is the first full-length feature documentary to examine the often overlooked history of Africa’s 1,000-year-old surf tradition spanning from Senegal to Angola.
Piloted by experts and community leaders in the BIPOC surfing movement, this cinematic film traverses historical footage and recreations, photography, original illustrations, live-action footage, and interviews to perpetuate this ancestral wisdom to re-connect with the ocean, nature, and the love of surfing.
The film includes interviews and commentaries by historians, Black surf pioneers and current Black surf advocates, such as Sharon Schaffer first African American pro woman surfer, Tony Corley founder of Black Surfing Association in 1975, and Greg Rachel, co-founder of Black Surfers Collective.
Director David Mesfin was born in Ethiopia and migrated to Florida as a child, where he quickly fell in love with surfing. He was inspired to create Wade in the Water following a series of events including the murder of George Floyd in 2020. “I felt like I needed to do something. Mother Ocean and surfing have always been my emotional, physical, and spiritual escape, and a source for wellness” he said. “Taking on this project, I quickly found out I wasn’t alone, and it began to gain momentum.”
Screening at A&I Hall, 3 Station Street Bangalow