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Screen Time
Katherine Nichols
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Top surfing stars appear in Brown film
Look for interviews with current big-wave stars such as
Laird Hamilton in the 2006 documentary film "Of Wind and Waves: The Life of Woody Brown," which airs at 8 p.m. Dec. 11 on PBS Hawaii.
The one-hour show also features plenty of footage of the colorful Woody Brown recounting his first experience in North Shore winter surf: "It was like a mountain coming by," he said of the swell rising under his 80-pound redwood board. "I always wanted to challenge death. I loved to get just as close to death as I possibly could and then dodge it. That was my thrill in life!"
Filmmaker David L. Brown (no relation) said Woody recently flew from Maui to Oahu to meet David for an interview, also set to air on PBS Hawaii. "Woody is still alive and going strong at age 95, and still able to hop from island to island to do interviews," said David. Incidentally, the surfing and sailing legend turns 96 in January.
David Brown noted that Woody attended John Kelly's memorial with several notable watermen who mentored Woody when he arrived in Hawaii in 1940, including Fred Van Dyke and George Downing. "It was pretty extraordinary to see all of them alive in their 80s and 90s," David said.
A DVD of "The Life of Woody Brown" will be offered as a pledge special during the PBS program; or, you can order it directly at www.ofwindandwaves.com.
Hawaii Student Television is sponsoring a women's filmmaking initiative, thanks in large part to local filmmaker Carmen Stevens.
Carmen Stevens Productions donated money to fund the creation of (and air time for) a public-service announcement for a women's or girls' organization. A female student video production team will be selected to shoot and edit the PSA.
"(Entertainment) is a really strong male-dominated field," said the 32-year-old Stevens. "I'm encouraging more women to get into the industry in any way that I can."
Female students in video classes should send a brief description about why they want to participate in this project to HSTV1@hotmail.com. Women's organizations interested in receiving a free PSA with air time should do the same. The initial deadline is Jan. 1.
It seems the world can't get enough of surfing documentaries, and fortunately, Hawaii always seems to play a prominent role. A new film about world champion surfer Mick Fanning won't be any different. According to theage.com.au, producer Matt Gye is in town shooting the last bit of a 26-minute film called "White Lightening" about the Aussie's rise to the top -- a journey that ended the 14-year supremacy of Kelly Slater and local hero Andy Irons.
"Hawaii is the Mecca of surfing globally, and Mick's been going there since 1998," Gye said in theage.com. "For me, it's going to be a great place to get a lot of interview content." The 26-year-old Fanning will complete the season here at the Billabong Pipeline Masters beginning Dec. 8.