Return to Zero is having its European Premiere on Saturday 9th November as part of the 13th Annual London Surf / Film Festival.
Amado Stachenfeld is a filmmaker with a deep appreciation of craft. There’s the craft of the stylish surfer, the craft of the shaper and of the filmmaking process itself. Yes, Return to Zero is an artful and original film revolving around surfers Anna Gudauskas, Joey Bookout, Trevor Gordon, Troy Mothershead and Kassia Meador, but it is more than this. This must see film is shot in rich 16mm, a 6 year project that is visually deep and textured. Amado embraces the analogue further with a beautiful photo book plus an original score vinyl by Gregory Rogove.
The film explores the theme of life, death and reincarnation through the physical form of a surfboard, re-shaped and re-glassed – reborn and surfed up and down the California coast by a cast of some of the most talented surfers on the planet, each board beautifully crafted by shaper Andrew Fletcher. “It stemmed from my friend who is the featured shaper in the film who had a board that had been shaped a bunch of times,” explains Amado. “It triggered a lot of my own interest in the idea of reincarnation. I wanted to explore how we could peel back a surfboard and create different shapes and experiences. It is so nice to finally be making the rounds and sharing my film with the world after the many years it took to complete. I’m very excited for it to be screening in London.”
Return to Zero is having its European Premiere on Saturday 9th November as part of the 13th Annual London Surf / Film Festival which celebrates the cream of contemporary surf culture and runs 7-9th November at Riverside Studios.
Tickets available here
Check out the full line-up here
