With “;Soul Surfer,”; a movie based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton, director Sean McNamara hopes to inspire others and deliver an uplifting message.

He hopes it will have the same impact on the audience members that films like “;Rocky”; and “;Raiders of the Lost Ark”; had on him. He said he walked in to those movies feeling down and walked out feeling rejuvenated.

“;To me the real story is so powerful,”; said McNamara last week from the set at Waimea Beach. “;Most people would give up their sport, but (Hamilton) not only went back to it, she excelled at it.”;

When she was 13, Hamilton lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing the north shore of Kauai. Yet she prevailed and went on to pursue her dream of becoming a pro surfer, taking first place in the national championships two summers later.

It's the ultimate comeback story.

The feature-length film, which began shooting on Oahu's North Shore earlier last month, is set to wrap up by mid-March and expected for general release some time next year.

Filming has taken place from Makaha to Waimea Bay, Sunset Beach and Turtle Bay Resort. Most filming will take place on Oahu, though a few scenes will be shot on Kauai.

AnnaSophia Robb stars as Hamilton, while Lorraine Nicholson (the daughter of Jack Nicholson) plays Hamilton's best friend, Alana Blanchard.

Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid play Hamilton's parents. Carrie Underwood is a church youth leader in her film debut.

A local crew, from producers to location scouts to drivers, key grips, sound boom operators, stunt people to hundreds of extras (including a homeless guy recruited to be a spectator) are working on the film, which will be distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“;We try to be as authentic as possible,”; said McNamara, who has spent the past five years interviewing the Hamilton family about their experience.

McNamara, who has a personal passion for surfing, actually went out to “;Tunnels”; on Kauai—where the shark attack occurred—to try paddling with one arm to see just how tough it was.

The Hamilton family is very involved with the film. Hamilton's brother Tim Hamilton is an assistant producer, along with her sister-in-law, Becky Hamilton, who produced the documentary “;Heart of a Soul Surfer.”;

Older brother Noah Hamilton is also on set every day, taking photographs of the crew.

“;I think they're doing a really good job,”; said Cheri Hamilton, Bethany's mom. “;It's got a sweet, tender spirit.”;

It was difficult watching the shark attack and rescue scene, which was realistic.

“;There are some heavy moments,”; she said. “;The rest of it is fun and full of joy.”;

Bethany Hamilton, now 19, will shoot some of the surf scenes herself and makes a cameo appearance in the film. She's training for an upcoming competition in Australia but swings by the set often.

Family friend Dutch Hofstetter, one of the film's producers and Hamilton's manager, is thrilled to see his vision come true.

“;I've been standing in this beach by myself for six years waiting for these people to come along and make a movie,”; joked Hofstetter. “;It's a story that's meant to be told.”;

Two local actresses have also netted roles in the film.

Kauai surfer and former Miss Teen Hawaii Sonya Balmores-Chung was cast as a rival surfer.

She also competed against Bethany in real life while growing up on Kauai.

“;It's a real treat to be part of this,”; she said. “;It's an awesome opportunity to share her story with the world.”;

Faith Fay, a Kailua actress who got her feet wet on the set of “;Lost,”; plays a reporter who barrages Bethany with questions after a surf competition.

Both Balmores-Chung and Fay worked with McNamara before on “;Beyond the Break,”; a series for MTV's “;N”; Network in 2006.

Surfer Brian Keaulana, the film's stunt coordinator, calls the script powerful.

“;It's about the spirit of Bethany,”; said Keaulana, who remembers watching her surf at the Rell Sunn Menehune Surf Contest in Makaha when she was just a kid. Back then, he said, you could tell she was an up-and-coming surfer with plenty of potential.

Bethany entered her first major contest at age 8 and was well respected by the time she was 13, when the attack occurred in 2003.

Bethany's autobiography, “;Soul Surfer,”; has sold nearly 1.5 million copies since its publication in 2004.