Splinters is the first feature-length documentary film about the evolution of indigenous surfing in the developing nation of Papua New Guinea. In the 1980s an intrepid Australian pilot left behind a surfboard in the seaside village of Vanimo. Twenty years on, surfing is not only a pillar of village life but also a means to prestige. With no access to economic or educational advancement, let alone running water and power, village life is hermetic. A spot on the Papua New Guinea national surfing team is the way to see the wider world; the only way.
Dr Jess Ponting of the Center for Surf Research guided the documentary team around Papua New Guinea in 2004 and conducted onscreen interviews in Tok Pisin, the most widely spoken language in PNG. He returned solo in 2005 to give 50 surfboards he had collected from the Sydney surfing community to the Surfing Association of Papua New Guinea and shoot some of the pivotal scenes of the film. The Center for Surf Research is delighted to be able to screen Splinters on campus and bring director Adam Pesce to campus for a Q & A session afterwards. The tentative screening date is Oct 27th.