Lorne to host local film premier from surf and skate greats

A PAIR of giants of the surf and skate world will be in Lorne next month for the local premiere of their new film The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez, an insight into one of surfing’s most influential figures.

The film charts the meteoric rise to international fame of Hawaii’s Gerry Lopez, dubbed “Mr Pipeline”, a man known for his influential surfing style and board shaping, devotion to yoga and Hollywood acting among many other pursuits.

The film is directed by skateboarding royalty Stacy Peralta, who helped found 1980s super brand Powell Peralta before later creating cult classic Dogtown and Z-Boys, a documentary film about the birth of skateboarding in California.

“Gerry Lopez has lived a wholly unique life, but there’s a universality to the challenges he’s faced and the lessons he’s learned, and Stacy’s beautiful, entrancing film is the perfect elucidation of this soulful surf icon’s epic journey,” the film’s co-producer Evan Hayes said.

Despite his considerable fame, the documentary is the first to tell the story of Gerry Lopez in full, complete with warts and all.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to all the people that I stole waves from,” Lopez announces in the film’s opening scene.

“Because I know that my surfing has been a subject of admiration, and the way my surfing got to that level was stealing a lot of waves from other surfers. You see, taking waves from other people is really the same thing as stealing, and if you do it enough – and I did it a lot – you can become pretty good at it. You also stop thinking about what a low thing it is.”

Known for zen-like calm in the face of the some of the world’s heaviest waves, Mr Lopez acknowledged this was often backed by an aggressive style.

“I thought my disharmonious behaviour with other surfers was balanced out by my trying to be in complete harmony with the waves. I’ve come to realise that yoga and surfing have been perhaps the most significant yin-yang relationship, yin-yang balancing act, of my entire life,” he said.

Produced by Patagonia Films, the company is donating a portion of ticket sales from the film’s tour around Australia to Surfers for Climate, the sea roots movement dedicated to climate action.

To reserve tickets for the film at Lorne Cinema on October 8, head to Patagonia.com.au/gerrylopez