Surfing 50 States (2008)

Australian surfer/filmmakers Jonno Durrant and Stefan Hunt are fascinated with "the states" and its people, and begin to wonder what it might be like to tour the whole country and explore its surf, culture and geography. One small problem: how could you possibly surf in places like Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, thousands of miles away from the nearest salt water? Being aware of surfing on the east, west and Gulf coasts as well as the Great Lakes, it was clear they should be able to get some waves in those states, but those interior states would clearly be quite a challenge. But their motto was "as long as you're standing on a surfboard with some kind of momentum, you're surfing." To them, surfing doesn't HAVE to be in salt water- heck, it doesn't even have to be on water. So they saved their pennies, packed their bags, and headed to the USA with a camera in one hand and a surfboard in the other. What follows is a hilarious mix of amazing people, fascinating locations, inventive surfing, and American culture at its wackiest. From riding icy waves in Alaska to surfing a pile of potatoes in Idaho, the boys explore and invent previously unimaginable ways of riding a surfboard. Towed by a cowboy on his horse in Texas, suspended mid-air above the stage on surfboards in the midst of a performance of The Wizard of Oz in Kansas, Durrant and Hunt demolish long standing myths, not to mention surfboards, their old ice-cream truck touring vehicle and nearly themselves as well, as they travel across the country introducing the art of surfing to astonished locals who have never seen a surfboard or a surfer in their lives. Now people in virtually any town in America can identify with the thrill of riding a surfboard. As the boys say, "We really hope our movie shows young people especially, that you can make your own fun anywhere you go, even if that fun is 'surfing' where there are no waves!"