As we sink our teeth into a new project, I’ve been reflecting on past projects. I am extremely proud to have been a part of my good friend Anthony Bonello’s film Azadi:Freedom. I co-produced and co-edited the film which was Anthony’s debut as a director and cinematographer. The film was a huge success around the world, picking up awards at some renown film festivals including IF3 and Vancouver Mountain Film Festival.
Check out the completr list of festivals and awards the film picked up on it’s travels.

AWARDS

2010 IF3 Montreal- Winner Best Cinematography AM & Best Editing AM

2011 Vancouver Mountain Film Festival- Winner Best Canadian Film

2011 Sundial Film Festival- Best Documentary and Peoples Choice Award

2011 Festival Aventure et Decouverte, Val d’Isere- Winner of the

-le Prix Espoir CMC- Prix d’encouragement à la réalisation and

-Le Prix spécial Ushuaia TV

2011 Powder Video Awards- Best Documentary Nomination

FESTIVALS

2010 IF3 Montreal- World Premier

2010 Banff Mountain Film Festival

2010/11 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

2010 Kendal Mountain Film Festival, UK

2010 Bovec Outdoor Film Festival- Slovenia

2010 Stowe Film Festival

2011 X-Dance Film Festival

2011 Vancouver Mountain Film Festival

2011 Up There Film Festival

2011 Sundial Film Festival

2011 5 Point Film Festival

2011 Festival Aventure et Découverte, Val d’Isere

2011 New Zealand Mountain Film Festival

2011 Horyzonty Adventure Film Festival, Slovakia

2011 Zapokane Mountain Film Festival, Poland

2011 Winter Sports Film Festival, Czech Republic

2011 Adventure Film Festival, Chamonix, France

2011 Danish Adventure Film Festival

2011 Adventure Fest, England

2011 Rossland Mountain Film Festival

Anthony is currently in Kyrgystan shooting video for the North Face and is also working on a documentary with Nic Teichrob called Stand, check it out at standfilm.com

Good swell has been hanging around in Miyazaki the last couple of days. February picked up where January left off.
Gale force offshore and frigid temperatures added a little extra excitement to the beach break action. I spent the early morning surfing and then shot some video at Gap. Here’s a few stills from Feb. 1st down at Gap and Kisakihama.

Hirotoshi Umeno pulling into one at Gap.

Longboarder getting loose at the front of his 10-footer at Gap.

A speedy right pulls into Kisakihama - I was out there! photo: Sae Hayashi

Unexpected swell rolled into Miyazaki last weekend and some of the better point breaks started sending.
Check out the quick cut we whipped up and check back for monthly video blogs and info about our current surf film, which at the moment is titled Good Morning, Miyazaki, but that could change. Who knows!? It’s early days so we’ll keep you posted!

Check out the video here!

During the recent typhoon (no. 12 or Tala) in Japan, I finally got the chance to see the infamous Curren’s Point in Uchiumi (15kms south of my place) breaking. The waves never really cleaned up and there wasn’t many good ones to be had, but a few crazies paddled out.
I snapped a few pics to give an idea of how gnarly Curren’s is and a screen shot from some video of one surfer sending it. He was sensible, riding the inside shoulder of a smaller wave. The waves breaking outside were massive and would eat you alive! Curren’s breaks in about 3 feet of water on a viciously jagged rock bottom. The spot get’s it’s name from the legendary Tom Curren, who surfed it back in the early 90’s when Miyazaki was still hosting a pro surf competition.

If you live in Miyazaki, Japan and surf, chances are ii-nami.com is set as your homepage and you check the site religiously to see what’s going on in the water. The good folk at ii-nami have set up pretty good cams at most of the locals breaks, or at least the ones they don’t mind sharing. I don’t understand much on the page other then the link to the webcams which I thought I’d share with you my friends, this way you can check-in from time to time and see what’s going on this side of the Pacific. (yes, I’m boasting)

Check out the waves –  www.ii-nami.com

According to the news reports, and well, the view out the window, the rainy season has begun here in Southern Kyushu and that means 6 solid weeks of rain and not so many good surf days. We are four days into it now and I am quickly learning what “rainy season” actually means. So far it’s rained about 40-50mms a day. In terms of snow that’s one 50cm pow day after another…after another….after another for six weeks straight. So, if your checking out the webcams you might not see a whole lot, but stay the course and check back again, you can literally watch guys and girls hanging ten and maybe even me trying to stay afloat.
Typhoon season comes in on the heels of the rainy season and thats when Miyazaki surfing really sends it so I’ll remind you to check things out then.

O yeah, I live within 20 mins of 80% of the webcams. Want to come visit? Beach camping is cool here in Japan so why not pack a tent and some sandals and come on over!

Have fun whatever wave your riding,

Dubs

Dubs is back!

Four months ago the family and I relocated to Southern Japan and now call the ocean-side town of Aoshima home. We are just down the beach from Miyazaki City AKA “Hawaii of Japan”. I’m banging out ideas for a hybrid surfumentary which will showcase the world-class surfing and alternative culture that makes Miyazaki a unique and vibrant community. I’m also brewing some ideas for a series of webisodes with the lads at Sumr, a surf accessories company based in Aoshima. All in all life is pretty good and the surfing is even better.

Stay tuned folks. I’m back in business:)

Good Morning Miyazaki

Nichinan, Miyazaki

Nichinan Left

Just checked the schedule out for IF3 Annecey this weekend! Here it is for my French Brethren. If you live near Annecy go check it out! It would appear we are the last film of the weekend, screening right after Eye Trip from Level 1.

Check out the IF3 Annecy’s webpage here.

Screening times

18:15– 21:00 : Séance 6 :

- AM  All In / Chaoz Productions

- Eye Trip / Level 1

- Azadi : Freedom / B4Apres

It’s official, Azadi has been selected to screen at the annual world re-known film festival. We’ve all been hoping for this announcement since wrapping up the film a couple of months ago. Time to celebrate!

Me and Tony B w our new sticks! photo:Matt Stauble & Charles Spina

Azadi:Freedom brought home the bacon at IF3.

The official world premiere of Azadi went down this past Friday as part of the biggest Freeskiing Film Festival out there, IF3 Montreal. It was tall-tee mania at the beautiful Imperial Theatre and the stoke was contagious. Three days of films, webisodes, walking, drinking and learning some french culminated in the Newschoolers award ceremony at yet another plush venue, the Telus Theatre. In a competition dominated by the “Newschool” it was a pretty big honour to come away with two awards. Best Am Editing and Best Am Cinematography and to be on the same stage as some of the biggest players in our little niche of freeski culture. I should mention the awards are custom made skis from Moment Skis and are extremely cool trophies!

Congrats to Athan and Nick from Dendrite Studios for bringing home the prestigious Open award for Best Big Mountain film and too all the other filmmakers and award winners for putting on a banger performance.

Go check out Newschoolers.com’s full coverage of the event. Words from the wise by Jeff Schmuck, tons of photos and all the info on who took home the rest of the bacon that we didn’t win.

Heading down to IF3 in Montreal early tomorrow morning, gonna be a rip down the 401 from Belleville, but we’ll be just in time to have some croissants, a coffee, and maybe a couple of beers before the premiere of Azadi at the Cinema Imperial. Getting revved up to see all the snow ski flicks and to feel the vibe of several hundred groms in tall tees getting pumped for another winter.

Check out the trailer for Azadi if you haven’t already seen it. Watch Trailer

you can also pre-order a copy over at B4APRES Media