The life and exploits of surf legend Laird Hamilton are rewardingly covered in this exemplary sports documentary, weaving footage familiar and new around a frank interview with the unfailingly forthright man himself.

 

“The pioneering big-wave surfer gets the full legacy treatment in Rory Kennedy’s rip-roaring account of a life spent conquering untameable walls of water.

 

“Taking a breather from the social-issues docs that have been her main sphere, prolific nonfiction filmmaker Rory Kennedy steers the audience on an exhilarating ride in Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton.

 

“An extreme-sports film that’s also a laser-focused biographical study of a crazy man lacking a functioning fear mechanism, this portrait of the charismatic big-wave surfer catalogues almost four decades of Hamilton’s achievements while offering an admiring assessment of his unstoppable drive.

 

“Tapping into a wealth of breath-taking action footage, the film naturally is at its most exciting when it puts us right there in the surging waters.” — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter, USA

Take an exhilarating ride with big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, a unique sports icon who has refused to compete professionally.

Visit nziff.co.nz to see the full schedule of films on at the 2017 New Zealand International Film Festival.