Waveriders named Best Documentary at Major Surfing Awards
Joel Conroy's Irish surfing documentary WAVERIDERS has won the prestigious Best Documentary Award at the 2009 Surfer Poll & Video Awards in Los Angeles. The annual event, often coined the ‘Academy Awards of Surfing', honours the pinnacle of surf culture and according to surfmag.com "is unquestionably the surf world's biggest night out".Produced by Margo Harkin, narrated by Cillian Murphy and featuring renowned Irish, British and American surfers Richie Fitzgerald, Gabe Davies, Kelly Slater and the Malloy brothers, WAVERIDERS tracks the influence of legendary Hawaiian waterman, George Freeth, the son of an Irishman, and the first true soul surfer. Acknowledging Freeth's legacy, the film returns from Hawaii and the Californian coast to the icy waters of the Irish Atlantic where some of the world's greatest surfers battle to conquer the biggest swell ever to have been ridden off the Irish coast.
The top Video Awards were selected by a jury of surf film experts who commented that of all the entrants in the Best Documentary category WAVERIDERS' take on the surf culture from an Irish perspective was "the most gripping and artful story of the bunch".
Producer Margo Harkin said of the win "It was pure joy watching Joel's face last night as he picked up the award. This is just huge for us as America is hard to crack in any film genre and this award automatically brings our film to a much wider audience around the world. It's another great day for Irish filmmaking talent".
WAVERIDERS is available on DVD in Ireland and the UK from Element Pictures Distribution. For trailers, clips and images see the Waveriders website.