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Head out to Turtle Bay on Friday to see some of the gnarliest surfing around. No, the Eddie Aikau surf contest is not running, but the new North Shore International Film Festival will screen more than a dozen short films and documentaries about surfing, starring some of the most accomplished board riders in the world.
Headlining the festival is “Pe‘ahi,” a feature film by Etienne Aurelius in which all-around waterman Kai Lenny takes a 12-year-old homeless boy to surf the famous Maui surf break, also known as “Jaws.”
Some of the other films include “Form,” starring John John Florence surfing Pipeline; “a la folie,” a biopic about big-wave surfer Justine Dupont; “Teahupo’o Goes Psycho,” about a freakishly large day at the famed Tahitian break, starring Nathan Florence; and “Billy Kemper’s Triumphant Return to Jaws,” documenting the two-time winner of the Jaws surf contest and his return to the break after a life-threatening injury.
The evening will feature a diverse lineup of judges rating the films, including surfers Lenny, Makua Rothman and Ian Walsh; gold medal-winning softball player Kamalani Dung; and filmmaker Jana Park Moore.
The event opens at 2:30 p.m. with a blessing, followed by the short films at 3. Ukulele virtuoso Taimane Gardner performs at 6, followed by an awards ceremony at 7. “Pe‘ahi” screens at 7:30. Tickets are $40 to $100.
Visit northshoreiff.com.