Surf culture clash

Laguna filmmaker Cyrus Sutton’s latest film, “Under the Sun,” premiered at South Coast Cinemas in September, in collaboration with West Coast Record and Ubiquity Records. The film’s debut in Laguna Beach was fitting for the filmmaker, who says he rode his best waves at Thalia Street Beach while splitting his time between Laguna and Seal Beach as a youngster.

The 16 mm feature documentary about surf culture won “Best Action Sports Film” at the Newport Beach Film Festival in April and “Best Film” at the Huntington Beach Film Festival in August.

Shot in Byron Bay and the Gold Coast in Australia, the film illustrates the clash between two surfing subcultures through interviews with six Aussie surf legends like Nat Young and Dean Morrison.

Gold Coast is described as “The L.A. of Australia,” which breeds commercialism, while “hippie Mecca” Byron Bay is home of soul surfing.

“While the two locations are geographically close, their populations have completely different outlooks on life, which is magnified in their respective surf scenes,” Sutton said.

He said his motivation behind the film was to explore surf themes he’d been exposed to throughout his life as a surfer and to bring a sense of reality to younger generations.

“I was totally wrapped up in pro surfing as a kid and so badly wanted the life pro surfers had,” he said. “I wanted to [convey] on film the transformations I’ve gone through “” physically, mentally, spiritually “” understanding what the surf industry means.

“For a lot of people, it’s a baseless dream. I want kids to know what the industry is trying to sell them.”

The film, a montage of Australia’s picturesque Pacific Coast landscape, old photographs and footage from earlier days and Sutton’s mixed-media animation, also raises concerns about the environment and its effects on the surf industry.

“While the industry promotes imagery of pristine waves, coastlines of the world are quickly becoming more crowded and polluted,” Sutton said. “Where does surfing go from here? Can the industry and culture become sustainable?

“In my short life I’ve seen the coastline change into an increasingly polluted and overcrowded mess. I hope this film can at least serve as a time capsule for Australia’s beautiful east coast and at best serve as a catalyst for a consciousness shift within the surfing tribe.”

A main point that Sutton wants to get across is that beneath these cultural differences, surfers are all after the same thing “” riding waves.

Ubiquity Records financed the film which includes an original soundtrack featuring London-based artist Shawn Lee and also includes an appearance by Byron Bay’s Band of Frequencies.

Sutton’s previous work includes his 2003 film, “Riding Waves,” for which he won “Best Cinematography” at the X-Dance Film Festival and “Best Film” at the Big Island Surf Film Festival, and the 2006 TV Series, “Next Wave: A Tsunami Relief Story,” for which he won an Emmy for his work as a writer and director of photography.

For more information about Cyrus Sutton, visit cyrussutton.com.

For more information about this film, visit www.underthesunsurf movie.com.