Age limit: 18 (unclassified)
Duration: 1h 30min
Genre: documentary
Year: 2024
Directors: Constantin Gross & Lukas Steinbrecher
Language: English, French, Spanish, Arabic
Subtitles: English

This screening and the following discussion are conducted in English.
Huom! Elokuva ja sitä seuraava keskustelu ovat englanninkielisiä.

The film’s director of photography Noah von Thun will be attending the screening for a Q&A -session.

“Surf on, Europe!” is a political surf documentary set along the Western European coast, addressing social and political challenges through the prism of surfing culture. It revolves around the lives of three surf enthusiasts, each facing their own struggles with European norms and ideals.

Majid, a kitesurfing instructor in Tarifa, Spain, longs for the reunion of his family who remain in Morocco due to visa constraints. While he revels in the freedom of the sea and the thrill of his sport, his world is confined by bureaucracy as he seeks to provide his children with the opportunities a European passport offers.

In Biarritz, France, Margaux is challenging gender stereotypes in the deeply entrenched heteronormative surf scene. Tired of enduring clichés, Margaux and her friends organize Europe’s first LGBTQ-friendly surf festival to challenge the status quo.

Further up north in Derry, Northern Ireland, Rosy escaped the turmoil of the Troubles and the IRA through surfing. The surfboard shaper now grapples with the economic uncertainty caused by Brexit until he sees a chance to stabilize his business and escape lingering societal divisions.

“Surf on, Europe!” explores the promise of freedom in Europe and the enduring challenges that threaten it.

https://surfoneurope.com/