One Of The Best Surf Film Festivals In The World Is Back This Month

SURFER: Congratulations on the Floripa Film Fest. I know you’ve been scheming for years. How did it all come about?
Duda Saracura: There were many people involved to make it happen like that, but first, it's fair to say that Bruno Zanin and I have been dreaming of this festival at least since 2020, when the pandemic tore apart the last standing film festival that we had here in Brazil, called Mimpi, that happened from 2012 until 2018 in Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro. 

Mimpi was a surf, skate, and music festival where Bruno and I first met. Our mutual friend, the legend/charger/angel Ricardo dos Santos, introduced us and asked if I could host Bruno in Porto Alegre while they were there for the festival weekend. Bruno was starting his career as a lensman having Ricardo as his main supporter. 

The Festival connected Bruno with his profession, introduced Brazil to a really talented filmmaker and year by year it nurtured friendships among the content producers in Brazil, helping the surfing scene as a whole. But eventually it got so big, it was becoming almost like a music festival. After Mimpi's last edition, Bruno and I decided that we should keep the dream alive. 

SURFER: As a filmmaker, why are film festivals like this so important? 
Duda: Watching the productions that we put so much time and effort into on a cell phone screen is kind of heartbreaking. We started brainstorming on how we could recreate that creative gathering, giving filmmakers and directors the best screening opportunity that they could ever have. Looking at some other Festivals around the world and speaking with the organisers of those events we created the Floripa Film Fest, with a big okay sign from Pedro Barros and Layback, that gave us all the support we needed. 

The goal is to set new connections, inspiring the new generation and challenging them to create, write, film, edit, and put their own perspective into deeper storytellings. We know that drift away from the social media format almost sounds like a distant utopia nowadays, but the first year proved to us that the audience is thirsty for that. We had more than 1200 people on the three nights of the festival, it was raining A LOT, and even though people were submerged into the movies.

SURFER: This all started with you making your series for Surfari TV?
Duda: Well, SurfariTV nowadays is my film production company. We also have some experience with events along the years, always with the goal of showcasing surfing as a cultural movement much more than as a sport. For the original series, me and my partner (Lucas Zuch, our dear friend who passed away) traveled all around the Brazilian coast doing interviews with more than 250 surfers, and it was more than obvious that surfing is a very important tool for personal development in Brazil. Of course the tip of the iceberg is the competitive scene that all the world got to know these last few years, but surfing plays a deeper role in Brazil’s surf towns, and that's how I started pitching brands and partners to build surfing events that were more than contests. It's been a fun ride so far.

SURFER: Has everyone that's come fallen in love with Santa Catarina and that area around Florianopolis? 
Duda: Completely. Last year we hosted Dave Fox and Harry Bryant, who were showing “Motel Hell,” the South African Tao Farren presenting his latest film with Michael February called “Instrument,” and also Jon Aspuru from the Basque Country with two of his own productions called “Mundaka Legendary” and “Spicy Knives.” Alongside with the Festival we have crazy parties at the same venue. It's safe to say that Florianópolis must be in the Top 5 best towns for parties in the world. The reason for that… well, you have to come and check it out.

SURFER: Pedro Barros' brand Layback is helping make these film festivals happen. What's it like working for a brand that puts an emphasis on culture and experiences like festivals? Has Layback been really happy with what you guys have built?
Duda: What Layback is doing for the Brazilian surf and skate culture is unreal. When we came to them with the idea of the festival they gave us all the creative freedom to build it as core as we wanted to. They really trust legit people in each specific area and are not afraid to do bold moves to pull things off. 

Actually, the same weekend we are having the Festival, just a few kilometres away, Layback is sponsoring the WSL South American QS. They started as a beer company, but now I think saying they are a beer company is an understatement. This year, we moved the festival to The Search House, a super cool Hostel by the beach, with a wide open garden that we will transform into a theater.

SURFER:What films do you have on the playbill this year so far? 
Duda: We already have some special diamonds in the lineup. There are dozens of national independent productions, some random heroes lost across America kinda vibe, and other dozens with a poetic approach. I would highlight Zanin's and Jesse Mendes "Provecho” filmed in Chile, and Bia Pinho's “Do Leme ao Pontal” that showcase Rio de Janeiro's Longboard queenpin Jasmin Avelino, that is all shot in 16mm. From abroad there are two main premieres. Circles from Dana Shaw and Return to Zero from Amado Stachenfelt. We're going to screen 50 films in total,  trying to set good balance between innovative stuff, core/performance films, 16mm artsy pieces, random hero parts. It’s going to be a really wide array.

SURFER:You've been really busy the last few years, filming and editing No Contest for Stab and Red Bull, making high production commercial work, having your first baby with your partner. What's next for you and for the FIlm Festival? 
Duda: Filming No Contest was a dream job. Getting to document other cultures around the world through surfing is pretty much the thing I love the most in my life. But when you spend a lot of time on the road, returning home gets even more special. Last year I got to know that I was gonna be a daddy, three days prior to the festival's first day. It was quite emotional. This year my little Toni will be 4 months old. Looks like the Festival is going to have a very cute mascot carried around. The goal for the FFF is to grow little by little, with consistency and to stick to our values. That works for me, my baby, my wife, the festival and my professional career. I just wish I could surf a bit more. Can someone help to convince my wife that I should surf more please?