Surf Nation Honolulu Surf Film Festival Discussion

Sarah Fang and her selection committee at the 2023 Honolulu Surf Film Festival made an excellent choice to include Jessica Chen and Jeremiah Bogert”s new documentary film Surf Nation. With surfing being introduced as an Olympic sport, China has entered the arena with their methodical academic approach to creating and training a Chinese Olympic Surf Team which rewards success and cuts failure.
Without native surfing experts in China, the Chinese have chosen Australian surfing coaches to lead them in this inaugural endeavor.
Chen and Bogert do an excellent job counterpointing the free surfing attitude of most novice and professional surfers against the regimented program the Chinese have chosen to employ. They use Chinese male surfer wild personality Alex and female surfer Lolo to amplify on this theme within the movie. The film does an excellent job telling its story against the typically small and inconsistent surf found most often at contest venues. I strongly recommend seeing the film.