Arts & Entertainment

Documentary About Big Wave Surfer to Headline Malibu Film Festival

The premiere of 'Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau' will raise funds for the Malibu Film Festival to purchase equipment for outdoor screenings.

A documentary by Malibu filmmaker Sam George that follows the life of legendary big wave surfer Eddie Aikau will make its West Coast premiere in October at the Malibu Film Festival.

The screening of Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau (2013) is set for Saturday, Oct. 12, and will help raise $75,000 for the Malibu Film Festival to purchase equipment for outdoor screenings, according to organizers. 

Aikau -- a Hawaiian lifeguard -- became well known for riding the big Hawaiian surf on the North Shore in the late 70s. The film explores his surfing and lifeguarding, as well as an ill-fated 2,500-mile attempt to follow the ancient Polynesian route between the Hawaiian and Tahitian islands. 

The phrase "Eddie Would Go" was coined in the 70s at a surf competition when Aikau paddled out in a particularly dangerous set of big waves.  

Malibu's Sam George -- a professional surfer, writer, director and screenwriter -- told the film festival in a recent interview that he decided to explore the project when he realized there was no comprehensive film about Aikau.

"Many people are familiar with the legendary Eddie Aikau—we’ve all seen the bumper stickers," George said. "But hopefully our film succeeds in portraying the very human Eddie Aikau and by doing so casts him in an even more heroic role. Because make no mistake: Eddie Aikau was a true hero, and not because he rode big waves. He was a hero because he cared about others, risked his life for others, and ultimately gave his life for others."

George left SURFER magazine in 2005 to focus on documentary film projects like "Hawaiian." He is best known for his screenwriting on Riding Giants (2004) directed by Stacy Peralta.

Tickets to "Hawaiian" can be purchased at malibufilmfestival.com/tickets


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