Filmmakers put spotlight on ocean at 20th Newport Beach Film Festival

The ocean can draw you in — a place where passion and pastime meet just beyond the shore in a liquid playground.

But as fun as the sea can be, it can be dangerous, even deadly.

Among the dozens of films that will be showcased at the 20th annual Newport Beach Film Festival, which opens Thursday, April 25, there are several locally made surf and ocean movies that highlight complex relationships with the sea.

They all have a common theme: Inspiration.

‘Part of Water’

Tourists look at the ocean and see the beautiful blue water — but a lifeguard sees a beast.

Filmmaker Jack Murgatroyd paraphrased a line from a lifeguard in the movie “Part of Water,” a documentary that not only dives deep into the life and death of Newport Beach lifeguard Ben Carlson, but also highlights the untold challenges lifeguards face.

Murgatroyd, who lives in Santa Monica, once again teamed up with Newport Beach filmmaker Tim Burnham for “Part of Water,” revisiting the shores of Newport Beach after major success with their first film, “Dirty Old Wedge,” which debuted at the festival in 2016 and sold the most tickets in the festival’s history.

Carlson, who died days after his 32nd birthday, was a longtime lifeguard, considered one of the best at his job. He was a strong swimmer, a surfer who charged big waves and an expert waterman.

The 15-foot surf Carlson jumped into from the rescue boat that fateful day, July 6, 2014, was massive.

The struggling swimmer made it to the boat.

Carlson did not.

Much is known about Carlson’s story, his legacy living on through friends and family who started the Ben Carlson Scholarship & Memorial Foundation, which helped build a statue at the Newport Beach Pier in his memory and aims to give back to the lifeguarding community.

Making the family and foundation proud was a top priority, said Burnham.

“Everyone seems pretty stoked on it,” said Burnham, who was friends with Carlson. “Obviously, it’s a really sad story, but inspirational.”

In the film, the swimmer Carlson jumped in to rescue speaks publicaly about the incident for the first time.

The story goes beyond Carlson’s accident and explores lifeguarding as a profession.

“Everyone thinks of lifeguards just hanging out getting a tan on the beach — there’s more than that,” Burnham said. “I think it’s really great to showcase what they do and tell the truthful side about it and highlight the good things – and the bad things – about the job. As we see with Ben’s accident, it’s a treacherous job. There are days when there’s no surf and there’s not much to do, but when it’s time to be on, it’s game time and you really have to focus. There’s no room for mistakes in lifeguarding.”

The ultimate hope with the film is that people will look at lifeguards in a new light, perhaps walk by the Ben Carlson statue at the pier and have a new appreciation for who he was, or be inspired to help the foundation.

‘Part of Water’ was selected as the closing-night film, showing at 8 p.m. May 2 at the Lido Theatre in Newport Beach. Tickets are $95, which includes the cost of a 21-and-older after-party.

‘Unstoppable’

The world knows the story of shark survivor Bethany Hamilton.

She’s been in the spotlight since a tiger shark bit off her left arm in 2003, when she was 13, with countless news stories detailing the attack. And when the Hollywood biographical film “Soul Surfer” debuted in 2011, she was propelled to celebrity status, arguably making her the most recognized surfer on the planet.

But “Unstoppable” isn’t about her shark-survival story. It’s a look at how she’s pushed the limits, especially in the surf, while juggling fame, motherhood, and chasing competitive dreams.

Aaron Lieber, who grew up in Fallbrook but now lives in San Clemente, spent five years documenting Hamilton’s unwavering dedication to be unstoppable: charging massive barrels at Teahupo’o surf break while unknowingly pregnant with her first child; being towed into bombing Jaws, a big wave in Hawaii that only the gnarliest of surfers have conquered; and training so she can propel herself over waves and land 360-aerials better than some of the most elite surfers, male or female.

The story details how Hamilton can still compete — and win — against some of the world’s best, including beating champions Tyler Wright and Stephanie Gilmore at a contest in Fiji.

While the movie mentions some of the challenges of doing it all with one arm, it’s not the focus of the film.

“By the end of the film, you forget that she’s missing an arm,” Lieber said in a past article. “That’s kind of the goal, she has chosen to forget.”

The movie shows at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 29 at the Lido Theatre. 

‘Circle of Honor’

Getting surfers to form a circle in the ocean may sound easy — but the “Circle of Honor” was no simple task.

The odds were against the more than 500 surfers who showed up in Huntington Beach on June 20, 2017 to break the Guinness World Record for the “Largest Recorded Paddle Out in the World,” with everything from a big swell, to a strong current and heavy fog making it a daunting task.

And as the minutes ticked by, it wasn’t clear if there were even enough surfers to succeed in the attempt.

If you were one of the 511 surfers who ultimately were part of setting that world record, you may find yourself on the big screen. The short-film documentary made it into the Newport Beach Film Festival, showing at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 26 at Triangle theater 9 in Costa Mesa.

‘Can’t Steal Our Vibe’

The Gudauskas brothers — pro surfers Pat, Dane and Tanner — will screen their documentary “Can’t Steal Our Vibe,” a short film that shows the San Clemente trio as they take donated surfboards to Cape Town, along with pro surfer Michael February, to help bring stoke to South African youth.

The brothers started the nonprofit Positive Vibe Warrior to give back to local communities and to share the love of surfing. The film shows on the same bill as “Satori,” a movie that captures the surf scene in Cape Town, focusing on two big-wave surf spots on the south peninsula.

The films show starting at 2:45 p.m. Sunday, April 28 and at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 30 at Triangle theater 4 in Costa Mesa. 

About the Newport Beach Film Festival

The Newport Beach Film Festival will run April 25 through May 2. About 60,000 movie-goers are expected to attend the eight-day festival, considered to be the largest international cinema event in Southern California. The festival showcases classic and contemporary filmmaking from around the world.

Along with movies, the festival brings big parties to town, with an opening night gala, April 25, at Fashion Island; a closing night party at Via Lido Plaza; and gatherings scheduled for every night in between.

For a full schedule of events, go to: newportbeachfilmfest.com