About

Florida Surf Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity dedicated to invigorating surf culture and fostering artistic appreciation through the exhibition of contemporary documentary films centered on surfing. We are committed to preserving and amplifying the voices of artists worldwide by showcasing their narratives across multiple platforms, including our story-driven podcast, curated literary discussions, and hands-on artistic workshops.  

 

Florida Surf Film Festival started at Atlantic Center for the Arts in 2012 and ran for 12.5 years through June of 2024, whereupon we partnered with Daytona State College for a two-year term, which ends in June of 2026.  We will move back to Atlantic Center for the Arts in 2026, and we'll also be screening at the Brannon Center in New Smyrna Beach in November and February, as daylight savings allows us to begin films at 6PM with no sunlight intrusion.  We open the doors at 5PM for all 6 of our event nights.  Usually, we do 1 in February, 2 in June over Father’s Day Weekend, 1 in August, and 2 in November every year.  Florida Surf Film Festival, Inc. is a Florida non-profit corporation.

Typically, films are selected by reaching out to upcoming projects that fit the mission of the festival, but also from a pool of applicants from FilmFreeway.  All dates, terms, and conditions can be found at the FilmFreeway site. Once films are selected, they are screened during one of three to four quarterly screenings during the festival year beginning in February.  

During October, the juries will view the official selections for the festival and vote on their top three for each of the following categories with 6 points awarded first, 3 to second, and 1 to third.  All scores are added together to choose a winner.  Both short and feature length films will be considered for the following recognition:

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• Best Documentary Film – Feature

• Best Surf Movie – Feature

• Best Documentary Film – Short

• Best Surf Movie – Short

• Best Cinematography – Feature

• Best Soundtrack – Feature

• Best Cinematography – Short

• Best Soundtrack – Short

• Viewers’ Choice Award – Feature

• Viewers’ Choice Award – Short

 
Awards are announced at the culmination of the year’s festival main two-night event in Daytona Beach at the News-Journal Center.
 
Submit your work here.

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Surf Stories Podcast

We also produce a bi-monthly podcast called Surf Stories.  John and Kevin began recording during COVID in 2020 to keep the sponsors happy during the year-long hiatus from live events, and it's been a fantastic addition in the This American Life meets Smartless-style of conversational narratives. You can find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Filmmaker Isaac Halasima and Kelly Slater, 2021  Photo:  Patrick Ruddy