Musica Surfica (2008)

Violin virtuoso and surfer Richard Tognetti, of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, with his friend, surfing provocateur Derek Hynd, asked a diverse group of surfers, including former world champion Tom Carroll and master shaper Tom Wegener, to join them on remote King Island at the edge of the southern ocean, to surf... without fins. Some of the boards were ancient Hawaiian designs, while others were modern, often successful attempts to design a finless board. While there, the surfer members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, along with folk musicians Mike Kerrin and Danny Spooner, performed for the locals and this music of Bach, Paganini, and others, forms the soundtrack to this very unusual film. The combined result is a film that looks at the art of surfing in new ways, reminding us of the rewards of risk in learning new things.