Belly of the Beast wins top gong at surf film festival

LOCAL film ‘Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story’ has been lauded as the top flick of the 2024 Bells Beach Surf Film Festival.

Directed by talented Torquay videographer John Teague, Belly of the Beast tells the story of Torquay using a collection of insightful interviews with local surfers, business leaders and community lynchpins.

The film also features drone footage, historical photos and covers many of the surf tragedies which continue to rock the town to this day.

Festival director John Foss said Belly of the Beast’s storyline made for “absolutely compelling cinema.”

“We were very excited to be showing John’s film during the three-day festival,” he said.

“Tickets for the screening of Belly of the Beast sold out two weeks prior which had never happened before.

“The film screened to a packed house at the Australian National Surfing Museum and whilst there was a lot of laughing and hooting there were also times you could have heard a pin drop.

“This is truly a beautiful film about our town.”

The event committee also awarded Best Cinematography and the Peter Troy ‘Spirit of Surf Travel Award to Spencer Frost for ‘Corners of the Earth-Kamchatka’, Best Short Film to Nathan Oldfield for ‘In the Family of Things’, and Best Documentary to Keith Molloy and Jeff Johnson for ‘Beyond Sunset’.

Organisers now turn their attention to the 2025 festival which will go ahead next January.