Since its inception in 2004, the Wavescapes Film Festival has morphed into the Wavescape Surf and Ocean Festival, with emphasis on community upliftment and ocean conservation, while celebrating the aspirational power of surf and beach culture.
Entering its 20
th year, a streamlined offering of ocean-focussed events includes:
- an open-air film screening with The Galileo Open Air Cinema and a screening in the Deep South at Scarborough
- beach cleanups
- a queer surf session
- the Wesgro Ocean Film Symposium, and
- of course, the annual flagship Wavescape Artboard Project, comprising an exhibition of artistic surfboards auctioned for ocean charities.
Wavescape says 2024's team of artists is spearheaded by veteran Bretty Murray, who once again uses his acerbic wit as a cultural weapon with his board inscribed KLEPTOCRATS: defined as "rulers who use their power to steal their country's resources". According to Wavescape, we all know what that refers to.
According to the festival, Murray's work is complemented by a board designed, shaped and decorated by alternative art guru Anton Butler and the inimitable Stefan Smit, who is hot off his work for the inaugural Pangeaseed Foundation's Sea Walls Mural Project.
Smit is joined by a former Wavescape Artboard artist back in the 2000s, Toya (Motel 7), who also participated in creating building-sized Sea Walls murals around Cape Town (directed by Wavescape Festival Manager Shani Judes). Joining them is ocean lover and adventurer Jero Revett, who uses the sea as his muse to create artworks that deploy Gyotaku, Cyanotype and Woodcut techniques, says the festival.
Sulette van der Merwe's Artboard explores intuitive connections between symbolism, with a strong influence of pop art, surrealism and digital culture, while MJ Lourens, a Fine Art Sculpture graduate plays at the intersection between paintings, sculptures and film, according to Wavescapes.
Another artist at Wavescape is Hakopike (Amy-Leigh Braaf), who explores the complexities of love through her art — drawing inspiration from the nation's biodiversity and her ancestral history, the festival says.
Born in Mamelodi, Kabelo Moraloki works with portraiture and abstract art characterised by:
- bold and bright colours
- intricate patterns, and
- Tetris blocks.
The festival adds Moraloki is joined by co-founder of the Cape Town institution Moonlight Mass, Elad Kirshenbaum aka One, a qualified architect who uses spray paint and markers used in graffiti and tagging to produce layers and patterns that converge into what he calls Architectural Abstract.
Wavescapes says that the auction of this rich variety of styles, techniques and artists takes place at Jack Black's Taproom on Wednesday 6 March and will be mc'd by auctioneer and comedian Nik Rabinowitz.
Festival Director Shani Judes said she was proud of Wavescape's achievements in the 20 years of its existence, with the Artboard Project at the pinnacle of this success.
"Since 2004, we have curated and managed the Wavescape Art Board Project, with a quiver of amazing South African artists who have accepted our invitation to turn surfboards into art for an exhibition and ocean charity auction," says Judes.
"This has raised close to R7-million over the years for entities such as NSRI, Shark Spotters, Ocean Pledge, 9 MilesProject, Waves for Change and the Beach Co-op. We have helped fund several NSRI boats and helped the Shark Spotters keep surfers and sharks in mostly harmonious cohabitation," Judes adds.
Once again Wavescape will partner with the Galileo Open Air Cinema for a screening under the stars at Kirstenbosch. Attendees can enjoy picnic treats and refreshments while watching a lineup of two films:
- Older than Trees, a short documentary about the ancient world of sharks by our own Oscar-winning director Pippa Ehrlich, and
- Point of Change, the true story of how the discovery of the perfect wave changed the Indonesian island of Nias forever.
According to the festival, the Deep South Film Festival at the Scarborough Community Centre will see a screening of Stoker Machine and the beautifully filmed Corners of the Earth, set in the remote eastern part of Russia Kamkatchka during the invasion of Ukraine.
Festival co-founder Spike from Wavescape was proud of the Cape Town institution the festival had become.
"Using our unique convergence between the authenticity of surfing and beach lifestyle, and the seriousness of ocean conservation, it's amazing how such a powerful platform for media advocacy has resonated with ocean-minded communities and brands," Spike says.
The final event of the festival will be the Wesgro Ocean Film Symposium, which aims to boost early film careers while curating speakers and demonstrations of film industry proponents. This will be a unique opportunity for filmmakers and producers to network with companies and service providers with a connection to adventure tourism, says Wavescape.
Social media influencer and podcaster Steve Shooter will be generating content on aspects of the festival and participants through episodes of his series Shredding the Gnar, adds the festival.
The 2024 poster was designed by Yeye Weller from Germany. The poster, resplendent in ocean creatures and a comic character riding a wave, is a vibrant celebration of the ocean's spirit and the joy of surfing in the tone of Betty Boop meets Popeye. Weller's unique style brings a sense of fun and whimsy to the ocean scene, the festival says.
Wavescape gives thanks to the following festival partners:
- Save Our Seas Foundation
- Petco
- Jack Black Beer, and
- Wesgro.
Wavescape Surf and Ocean Festival 2024 Lineup:
- Friday, 1 March: Outdoor screening at Galileo open-air cinema
- Monday, 26 February to Wednesday, 6 March: Wavescape Artboard Exhibition at Jack Black's Taproom
- Wednesday, 6 March: Wavescape Artboard Charity Auction at Jack Black's Tap Room
- Thursday, 7 March: Deep South Film Festival, Scarborough Community Centre
- Saturday, 9 March: Beach Cleanup and Queer Surf Session, Muizenberg, and
- Wednesday, 13 March: Wesgro Ocean Film Symposium.