The Wavescape Surf and Ocean Festival in Cape Town will celebrate its 20th anniversary from March 1-14, with a selection of ocean activities, the Wavescape Artboard Charity Auction, and several film screenings.
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.
The festival’s ocean-focused events include an open air film screening with The Galileo Open Air Cinema at Kirstenbosch and a screening at Scarborough; beach clean-ups; a queer surf session; the Wesgro Ocean Film Symposium; and its annual flagship Wavescape Artboard Project, comprising an exhibition of artistic surfboards auctioned for ocean charities.
The auction takes place at Jack Black’s Taproom on Wednesday March 6, and will be emceed 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, running since 2004, at the pinnacle of this success. The proceeds of the Artboard Auction are donated to charitable ocean projects.
“The auction has raised close to R7 million (€342 185) over the years for entities such as the National Sea Rescue Institute (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,” said Judes.
The screening at Galileo Open Air Cinema will include two films – Older than Trees – a short documentary about sharks from Oscar-winning director Pippa Ehrlich, and Point of Change, the true story of how the discovery of the perfect surfing wave changed the Indonesian island of Nias forever.
The Deep South Film Festival at the Scarborough Community Centre will screen short animated surfing documentary Stoker Machine and Corners of the Earth, which follows the journey of two surfers whose hunt for new waves in the remote eastern part of Russia’s Kamkatchka was disrupted during the invasion of Ukraine.
Festival Co-Founder Steve Pike from Wavescape said he 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.”
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.
The festival’s line-up is as follows:
- Friday, March 1: Outdoor screening at Galileo Open Air Cinema.
- Monday, February 26 to Wednesday, March 6: Wavescape Artboard Exhibition at Jack Black’s Taproom.
- Wednesday March 6: Wavescape Artboard Charity Auction at Jack Black's Tap Room.
- Thursday, March 7: Deep South Film Festival, Scarborough Community Centre
- Saturday, March 9: Beach Clean-up and Queer Surf Session, Muizenberg.
- Wednesday, March 13: Wesgro Ocean Film Symposium.
