"I never set out to make a “surf movie.” My aim with Splinters, rather, is to introduce the viewer to an experiment unfolding in a Petri dish. How the surfboard catalyst will ultimately fuse two disparate worlds together is unknown. Will it be the golden goose that provides a “way out” for emerging surfing talent? Or could it give false hope and usher in the erasure of indigenous heritage while paving the way for commercial exploitation from the West?" — Adam Pesce, director

That statement alone piques my interest in this film, Splinters.  This is at least the third film about surfing within the African diaspora to be released in recent months; the other two I can recall being Otelo Burning and Whitewash.  So I'd imagine that we'll see an increase in black surfers in the near future– just make sure all you dudes and dudettes pack it in at the first sign of shark activity.

SPLINTERS Teaser from splinters on Vimeo.

Splinters is the first feature-length documentary film about the evolution of indigenous surfing in the developing nation of Papua New Guinea. In the 1980s an intrepid Australian pilot left behind a surfboard in the seaside village of Vanimo. Twenty years on, surfing is not only a pillar of village life but also a means to prestige. With no access to economic or educational advancement, let alone running water and power, village life is hermetic. A spot on the Papua New Guinea national surfing team is the way to see the wider world; the only way.

Splinters will be screened at the following locations: