Manufacturing Stoke at the Byron Bay Film Festival

MANUFACTURING STOKE from misfit pictures on Vimeo.
Surf. No other sport is so intrinsically linked to nature. And yet, in becoming the multi-billion dollar industry it is today, a great paradox has arisen. Surfers are directly connected to the earth’s pulse and yet a majority of the materials used are environmentally toxic.
Manufacturing Stoke, an introspective look into the surfing culture’s struggle for positive environmental change is one of the many films to be featured at this year’s Byron Bay International Film Festival. Now in its 6th year, the Festival has established a reputation, locally, nationally and now internationally, for dynamic programming. This reputation is built on the festivals ability to pull together a captivating, stimulating and entertaining dose of screen culture.

Pierce Michael Kavanagh

MEET THE FILMMAKER
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER, PIERCE MICHAEL KAVANAGH
Pierce Michael Kavanagh grew up in La Jolla, California just up the beach from the notorious reef break Windansea. The mystical legend and lore of the local reefs, and its amazing surfers, was instilled into his psyche from a very young age. Pierce’s passion in filmmaking began at an early age, as a ‘grom’ lugging around a VHS camera. It evolved naturally through his love for surfing, skating and the magazines and movies from the 80s, and led to him studying film making at the University of California, in Santa Barbara, USA.
Manufacturing Stoke is the debut documentary feature for Pierce’s film production company Misfit Pictures. He says, “We are very proud of what we have accomplished, surfing is sacred to me, so a lot of thought went into the making of this film”. The critically acclaimed documentary is screening internationally, encouraging a wider discussion on the issues around sustainable surfing.
For more info on the Byron Bay Film Festival – www.bbff.com.au