At the 2008 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, surfer and entrepreneur Shaun Tomson premiered his iconic surf film Bustin’ Down the Door. It was one of the most popular films in SBIFF history.
It is now the 50th anniversary of the period when the drama ensued and the revolution in surfing began. To celebrate this, Bustin’ Down the Door is screening for free on Friday, February 14, at 2 p.m. at the Arlington Theatre.
“Looking forward to the re-release!” said Sean Pratt, SBIFF managing director. “To this day, we joke about how when this first premiered and we sold out, people literally were trying to bust down the Arlington doors.”
The documentary, narrated by Edward Norton, follows the true story of a group of young surfers from Australia and South Africa who relocated to Hawai’i in the winter of 1975 and put it all on the line to create a surfing revolution. It follows the rise of professional surfing in the early 1970s, following the obstacles and adversities of this group along the way.
Following the film will also be a Q&A session with Ian Cairns, Peter Townend, and Shaun Tomson, all members of this group of revolutionaries.
The Los Angeles Times raved about Bustin’ Down the Door: “Entertainingly captures surfing’s last great hoorah of no-holds-barred radicalism.”
Along with sharing an inspiring story, the movie also boasts an exceptional soundtrack, featuring David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen, and others. The closing song is that of a local Santa Barbara band, Jonny Black and Them Terribles, which Tomson stumbled upon when the young musician’s mom dropped off the band’s CD at his door and he realized that this was the song he was missing in the film’s soundtrack.
Pack the Arlington for this rare re-release and a chance to peek into the deep and captivating history of a local staple.
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