PTWC merch flew off the rack at a special Wavescape Surf and Ocean Festival screening on Friday that saw a sellout crowd descend on Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town for three epic surf- and ocean-related movies.
The Wavescape Film Night, an annual event at the Galileo Outdoor Cinema, invited PTWC to set up a stand at the sold out venue, where Changing Tempo, Where we Thrive and The Source were screened.
Spike from Wavescape curated the films specifically to pay homage to the Deep South of Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula as a whole, and also to the unique, proudly South African culture of surfing, adventure sport and conservation that makes the country such a favoured destination for nature-based tourism. The selection paid off. This was the busiest night at Kirstenbosch on record for the Wavescape festival, he said.
Items of PTWC merch were given out to six members of the crowd, from T-shirts and enamel mugs to one each from the popular tote and backpack range, which is made from upcycled bedouin tent offcuts and used sails. Jack Black’s Brewery supplied their customary refreshing ales and lagers at the stands behind the screening.
The team from Eyeforce film company were in the crowd to cast a critical eye over their teaser and call for funding to complete their documentary for PTWC with a working title of Out of Mind, a searing and evocative portrayal of the West Coast and the dire need to end the scourge of heavy mineral and diamond mining that threatens to engulf the last areas of pristine coastline.
If you would like to pledge financial support for the PTWC documentary film, or would like more information, please contact Mike Schlebach at mike@protectthewestcoast.org
An energetic team from the 9 Miles Project, led by the indefatigable Nigel Savel, buzzed around their bright blue stand introducing the public to the important work they do to assist indigent children from the Cape Flats to lift themselves out of a life of drug abuse, poverty and gang violence. The PTWC teaser was followed by a short film about their project.
Judging by the hoots and claps among the crowd who had thronged to the venue from late afternoon to enjoy a picnic and refreshments, all the movies went down a treat.
First up was the beautifully crafted mini-biopic Changing Tempo, which tells the story of sensational Cape Town surfer Mikey February surfing around Africa shortly after he turned away from competitive surfing. The 15-minute film about Mikey’s incredible virtuosity as a surfer and a human was the warm up to the locally made Where We Thrive, a 34-minute profile of the Deep South of Cape Town, in particular Kommetjie.
From the opening line holy macaroni cheese balls! line to the closing credits of this community-driven tribute to the ‘Kom’, her community, surfing culture and the adventure potential of the Cape Peninsula, the crowd were treated to an unpretentious, underground view of this small town gem, and the birth of big wave surfing in South Africa.
The evening culminated in The Source – a 32 minute travelogue that follows Hawaiian surfer Koa Smith’s trip from Hawaii to South Africa to make a surf movie. As an influencer with 324,000 followers, he is stifled by a relentless pursuit of images and video to feed his social media.
But a chance encounter with a special member of the Deep South community puts him on a path of connection, nature and introspection. His ‘surf movie’ becomes a transformative journey where, as Spike says, “the sounds, sights and people of South Africa give him a profoundly human experience about the need to just chill bru!”
Lauren Stevenson from PTWC, who managed the merch stand, said: “it was special to see how a night of films featuring the ocean could bring together such like-minded, yet diverse individuals. A big thanks to Wavespace who aired the trailer to PTWC’s upcoming film and for the opportunity to share the word and fundraise through our merch sales.
“The curiosity and excitement of the night has definitely fuelled us for the week,” she said.
Thanks to everyone who bought some merch! A little goes a long way in aiding our fight to protect what we love!
